Welling (1655-1727) was not an academic, but his tome of forbidden knowledge made a big splash when it appeared in 1719, and has influenced Goethe and the literature of the Rosicrusians, Masons, Hermetic movements across Europe including the Golden Dawn, and probably groups that have yet to discover themselves and their ancient history. For all that, it has not been translated from German into English during these nearly three centuries. McVeigh (German, Smith College) has done so now, but warns that knowing the language is no guarantee of understanding the text. There is a fairly detailed table of contents, but no annotation or index. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)