<p>SSOTBME was originally commissioned by Christopher McIntosh (author of <em>Eliphas levi and the French Occult Revival&nbsp;</em>and other works on Hermetic and Masonic history)&nbsp;as an essay for a semi-academic collection of essays on comparative religion. That project never happened, but the material was expanded into a small book published by the author in 1974. The book was an immediate success with a new wave of practicing magicians in the UK, including Pete Carroll, Ray Sherwin and other members of what was to become the Chaos Magic movement. Further editions were printed including a German, two Polish and a US edition. This new edition, published in 2002, is considerably revised, expanded and brought right up to date</p><p>There&#39;s much food for thought here, whether you&#39;re just starting in on magic or consider yourself an old hand. If you&#39;ve got friends,lovers, bosses, etc. wondering what all this weird stuff is about and you want to steer them towards an intelligent intro to magic - look no further than S.S.O.T.B.M.E..</p>