SSOTBME was originally commissioned by Christopher McIntosh (author of Eliphas levi and the French Occult Revival and other works on Hermetic and Masonic history) 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
There's much food for thought here, whether you're just starting in on magic or consider yourself an old hand. If you'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..