Petit Albert

Petit Albert (English: Lesser Albert) is an 18th-century grimoire of natural and cabalistic magic. The Petit Albert is possibly inspired by the writings of St. Albertus Magnus. Brought down to the smallest hamlets in the saddlebags of salesmen, it represents a phenomenal publishing success, despite its evil reputation -- or because of it. It is associated with a second work, the Grand Albert (). It is a composite or heterogeneous work, and perhaps a bric-a-brac, collecting texts of unequal value written by (or attributed to) various authors; most of these authors are anonymous, but some are notable such as Cardano and Paracelsus. It's a relatively old text, although the attribution to Albertus Magnus is dubious, particularly as it quotes from so many later sources.