Book of the Black Dragon Volume 1

Books

20 Jan

This enchiridion for the Black Dragon is the first volume for expounding sorcery associated with the dirt track road, which must forever be adumbrated by the outer precinct of the crooked path, for this inner sanctum presents the dirt ridden yet adamantine road which leads to the Black Dragon and the great mystery of telluric sorcery. It began as a realisation of a work that was formed by the Dragon’s Column, this being the working group that went on to contribute towards Andrew Chumbley writing The Dragon Book of Essex. Yet there are some stark contrasts to be made between this book and that, for the reader must know this is an earth bound book. This is to be realised by turning away from the heavens and looking beyond into the defiled depths of those who have fallen into the coils of Azde-Ahab-Haris. By having recognised this rhizomatic network of endless possibilities, the demiurgic force imbibing the ophidian flow has placed confidence in those who work with both hands by transmitting this work. As a result, the book leads the reader through a sequence of ritual actions and interactions with specific daemons associated with points on the Black Dragon, with each point acting as a gateway for reifying the very principle of Being through the notion of becoming. Anticipatory in nature, the trappings of ceremonial magic are here discarded. The sorcerer instead locates the ritual space through flesh in relation to the horizon- the Proklosis Ring. At this non-place the sorcerer is encouraged to follow the instructions and insights contained in this grimoire, for there are steps and measures which must be taken to traverse the Black Dragon’s form. By so doing the horizon becomes the coiled serpent, and the earth becomes the gateway through which to engage with the ophidian source for all our Otherness.

Setting the stage for the Black Dragon began by discussing the context in which the Black Dragon is encountered. Using the same schema as the one used in the Dragon Book of Essex, the written word moves across ‘power’ points or crossroads, these being body parts of the Black Dragon. Directly referring to Draconis, the book creates an inverted rendition, one where the onus is set by earth dragon mysteries rather than stellar. This in turn refers directly to the ancestral connection the books has with those who are forgotten. Consequently, a new retinue of daemons, conduits, and djinn introduce themselves to the reader as points of contact, by which we can evoke and invoke non-being: something which is completely Other to ourselves. Such is the strength of this emphasis that the first volume details points leading up to the head of the Black Dragon. Providing this level of clarity means the location of the work, the Proklosis Ring also requires further attention, and thus Codex Althaeban Malik came to be the second volume.

Bibliography

Standard Edition
Original price: £90

Physical Description
Dimensions: 235x154mm portrait.
Page Count: 415 pages.

Binding
Binding: Covered in blood red buckram. Black and Gold foil blocking to front and rear with single gold foil block to rounded spine. Ebony end papers, embossed with insignia to inside front. Red and black head and tail bands. Scarlet book ribbon.
Paper: 120 gsm Munken rough paper.

Deluxe Edition
Original price: £700

Physical Description
Dimensions: 235x154mm portrait
Page Count: 276 pages.
Other physical details: Individually numbered.

Binding
Binding: Covered in black goat leather. Red and Gold foil blocking to front and rear with a raised banded spine with a uniform design in each panel. End papers nonpareil. Where the nonpariel is attached to the hardcase on the inside of the book it will be clipped back and then along the edge where the folded leather meets the nonpareil there will be gold foil blocking, the same will be the case to the back of the book. The foil blocking will be the same as on the solander box. The edge of the book block will have an antique gold gilt finish. Red and Black Head and Tail bands. Black book ribbon.
Paper: 130 gsm Munken Pure.

Content Note
Accompanying material: Solander Box (Quarter Moroccan style with black goat leather meeting nonpareil marbled paper. Dividing the two materials across the front and the back is a vertical line of gold foil block. The Solander box spine will have 7 raised bands with one coloured panel in red with the title of the book foil blocked onto it. Each band will be bordered by foil blocked lines. The inside of the solander box will be red velvet with an AP blind embossed insignia on the left hand side.)

Plucked from an earthen grave, each deluxe comes with the rib from a venomous snake this is to be offered to the Black Dragon. It has two particular applications in that it can either be used at each point across the dragon's form or placed in the Ossuary of the Temporal Flux, being the Vessel of the Dragon's Head. It is thereby a key and a lock for opening the way.

Each deluxe copy will come with a sigillic piece of artwork which has been drawn from one of the points mentioned in the book. This may include a dedicated piece to a particular daemon or it may refer to a point from the Black Dragon’s form.

Second Edition
Original price: £90

Physical Description
Dimensions: 235x154mm portrait.
Page Count: 415 pages.
Other physical details: Each book bought directly from Atramentous Press will be signed by the author.

Binding
Binding: Head and Tail bands. Two colour foil blocks to front cover, back cover, and spine.
Paper: Munken Smooth.