You’re almost certainly referring to Practical Angel Magic of Dr. John Dee’s Enochian Tables (often mis-typed as “angle” instead of “angel”). (Internet Archive)
It’s a hybrid historical study + working sourcebook. Skinner and Rankine present the book as a transcription-based reconstruction of Dee-related angel magic material from key manuscripts (including Sloane 307/3821 and Rawlinson D1067/D1363), with the goal of showing how the system was actually practiced and transmitted. (Internet Archive)
Core summary
- Part 1 gives the historical frame: angel magic in England, John Dee in context, and later transmission (including the Golden Dawn era). (Internet Archive)
- Part 2 focuses on the manuscripts and transcription method. (Internet Archive)
- Part 3 is the practical heart: table structure (East/West/North/South), hierarchy of angels, invocations, keys/prayers, and procedural directions for calling spirits/angels. (Internet Archive)
Main thesis in plain terms
The authors argue that most modern presentations only preserved a fragment of this material; they claim Golden Dawn circles used a small extract (“Book H”), while fuller manuscript strata were less known/suppressed in later publication streams. (Internet Archive)
What you get from reading it
- A historically framed map of Dee-style angel magic.
- A large body of transcribed primary material.
- A step-by-step operational framework (in the book’s own terms) rather than only theory. (Internet Archive)
Absolutely—here’s both.
Chapter-by-chapter summary (from the book’s own contents structure)
The book is organized as a historical framing + manuscript study + practical system presentation. The contents list explicitly shows this three-part design and the major subsections below. (Internet Archive)
- Introduction
Sets out the authors’ claims: they are reconstructing angel-magic practice from key manuscripts and arguing for a fuller transmission history than most modern summaries present. (Internet Archive) - Traditional Approaches to Western Magic / Definition of Magic / Dualist View / Aristocratic Connections
Establishes conceptual background and social context (who practiced, how magic was categorized, and why elite networks mattered). (Internet Archive) - Part 1 — A Short History of Angel Magic in England
Historical narrative from grimoire-era sources through Dee and post-Dee transmission. Includes:
- Sources in grimoires
- John Dee in context
- Post-16th-century aristocratic practitioners
- Golden Dawn-era revival/impact. (Internet Archive)
- Part 2 — The Manuscripts
Moves from history to source criticism:
- Which manuscripts are used
- How transcription conventions are handled
- Why textual details matter for reconstruction. (Internet Archive)
- Part 3 — The Practice of the Tables
The operational core, including:
- Tabula Bonorum Angelorum Invocationes
- Clavicula Tabularum Enochi
- Intro to table use
- Angel hierarchy
- East/West/North/South table sections
- Table of Union and notes on “evil angels” entries
- Invocation and key/prayer materials
- Practical sequencing for each directional table. (Internet Archive)
- Appendices
Supplemental reference materials:
- Angel Function Table
- Golden Dawn Book H material
- Alan Bennett diary material
- Tables of Kings/Seniors/Angels
- Bibliography/index. (Internet Archive)
Beginner’s map of the Enochian table system (no ritual detail)
Think of the book’s system as a layered architecture:
- Foundation layer: historical lineage
Dee’s material is presented as part of a broader stream, not an isolated invention. (Internet Archive) - Source layer: manuscripts
The “true shape” of the system is claimed to come from manuscript collation/transcription, not later simplifications alone. (Internet Archive) - Structure layer: tables and quadrangles
Four directional tables (East/West/North/South) plus a central “Table of Union,” each tied to ranked angelic offices/functions. (Internet Archive) - Access layer: keys, prayers, invocations
Textual formulae are arranged as access mechanisms to specific parts of the table hierarchy (kings, seniors, angels, etc.). (Internet Archive) - Procedure layer: ordered practice
The book presents a workflow-like progression: preparation texts → directional focus → hierarchical calling schema → table-specific operation. (Internet Archive) - Reference layer: appendices
Quick-reference lists/tables help map roles and correspondences without rereading the whole book. (Internet Archive)
Perfect—here’s a one-page read order that gets you fluent in the book fast without drowning in dense transcription material.
Fast Read Order for Practical Angel Magic of Dr. John Dee’s Enochian Tables
1) Orientation pass (about 30–45 min)
Read in this order:
- Contents pages first (to see the whole architecture: Intro → Part 1 history → Part 2 manuscripts → Part 3 practice → appendices). (Internet Archive)
- Introduction (focus on the authors’ core claims about method, transmission, and the Golden Dawn “Book H” issue). (Internet Archive)
- Part 1: A Short History of Angel Magic in England (just enough historical spine so the technical parts make sense). (Internet Archive)
Goal of this pass: understand what the book is trying to prove, not every detail.
2) System-map pass (about 60–90 min)
Now read selective sections from Part 3 in this order:
- A Brief Introduction to the use of the Tables
- The Hierarchy of Angels
- East Quadrangle
- Table of Union
- General Use and Signification of the Tables
- The Book and the Procedure
- Practice of East/West/North/South Tables (read for structure, not memorization). (Internet Archive)
Goal of this pass: build a mental model of components + order of operations.
3) Deep-text pass (targeted, not linear)
After the map is clear, go back for the dense source blocks:
- Tabula Bonorum Angelorum Invocationes
- Clavicula Tabularum Enochi
- Invocations (East/West/North/South)
- Keys to the Portals
- Ashmole’s Prayers / Humble Supplication / Enoch Prayer (Internet Archive)
Read these as primary-source material first (language, structure, transmission), then as practice text.
4) Use appendices as your index, not as “extra reading”
Prioritize:
- Appendix 1: Angel Function Table
- Appendix 4: Table of Kings, Seniors and Angels
- Appendix 2: Golden Dawn Book H (for transmission comparison). (Internet Archive)
Goal: stop flipping back and forth; use appendices as your quick decoder.
What to skip on first run
If your goal is comprehension speed, postpone full close reading of:
- long invocation blocks,
- parallel directional texts once you understand one pattern,
- detailed “evil/malicious spirits” sections until after you grasp the core architecture. (Internet Archive)
7-day practical study cadence (lightweight)
- Day 1: Orientation pass
- Day 2–3: System-map pass
- Day 4–5: Deep-text pass (Tabula + Clavicula)
- Day 6: Invocations + Keys
- Day 7: Appendices-only review and personal outline
This book is 296 pages in the Llewellyn edition, so this pacing keeps you moving without losing structure. (Google Books)