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Audiobook edition · 2 h 42 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 96 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 96 pagesAbout this book
What if learning comes not from study alone, but from prayers, mysterious figures, and the promise of divine wisdom?
Ars Notoria is a medieval Latin handbook of prayers, ritual rules, and meditation figures. Traditionally credited to King Solomon, it sets out a path intended to bring memory, eloquence, and understanding through God and his angels. Its unknown author presents knowledge as a sacred gift, sought through spiritual preparation rather than study alone.
At its heart are the notae: circles, squares, and words that practitioners are told to gaze upon. Alongside them stand formal prayers and a demanding discipline of body and soul. The promised rewards reach from grammar and philosophy to theology, while the prescribed words and signs raise doubts among medieval theologians.
What you’ll discover
- Solomon and sacred learning Explore how the text places its promise of wisdom within the Solomonic tradition.
- Figures for contemplation Look closely at the notae, diagrams that give this pursuit of learning its distinctive shape.
- Prayers for understanding Encounter formal orations intended to petition angels for memory, eloquence, and a clearer mind.
- A demanding spiritual discipline Discover the preparation the text requires, far removed from any promise of an easy trick.
- Devotion under suspicion Consider why rites built around words and signs trouble medieval theologians and interest scholars.
Who will love it
This is for readers who love medieval prayer books, Solomonic lore and the history of memory and learning, and for anyone curious how people once asked heaven for eloquence and a steady mind.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The notory art claims an angelic origin
- Every session begins with humble prayer
- Some prayers are left unexplained on purpose
- Moon, hour and body set the rhythm
- Pride and drunkenness bring harsh warnings
- Each liberal art has its own notes
- Dreams, the sickbed and the Figure of Memory
- Ten prayers, faith and how to read it today
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Ars Notoria
by Attributed to King Solomon · 1225
An angel hands King Solomon a book of figures and prayers that promises memory, eloquence and understanding.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to readEnglish
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“Reach out your hand and touch my mouth, and make my tongue like a sharp sword to speak these words eloquently”
In short
What if a prayer could open the mind the way a key opens a door? That is the promise of the Ars Notoria, a handbook of devotion that presents itself as the method by which King Solomon received wisdom from an angel.
Ars Notoria at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 35 min1 h 15 min fast, 1 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 22,400 words66 chapters
- Pages
- 96 pages142 in large print
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1225by Attributed to King Solomon
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Listen to the whole bookOr hold it in print: paperback, hardcover or large print, at costFrom the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The notory art claims an angelic origin
The book opens by naming itself. It is the Notory Art that the highest Creator showed to Solomon. In this account the king wonders how knowledge comes to a person, and an angel brings him a book. Inside are figures and prayers for every art, and the angel teaches him the way a child is taught the basics.
The word notory comes from the Latin for a mark or a note. The notes are small figures that stand for a whole field of learning. The text says the art holds the knowledge of all arts in a few short notes, while other arts fill long books and tire the student. Its promise is learning in a short time, with memory and fluent speech.
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An angel hands King Solomon a book of figures and prayers that promises memory, eloquence and understanding.
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Details
- First published
- 1225
- Language
- English
- Listening time
- 2 h 42 min
- Level
- Challenging
- Paperback
- 96 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 96 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 142 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Large print hardcover
- 142 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
- Printed when you order. Usually here in 12 to 14 days.Arrives Fri 13 Nov to Thu 19 Novto United States, printed for you at cost
For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Solomon. Ars Notoria. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-ars-notoria.
Solomon. (2026). Ars notoria. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-ars-notoria (Original work published ca. 1225)
Solomon. Ars Notoria. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-ars-notoria.
@book{solomon2026ars,
author = {Solomon},
title = {Ars Notoria},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-ars-notoria},
note = {First published ca. 1225}
}
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What is the Ars Notoria about?
It is a medieval handbook of prayers and sacred figures called notes, said to have been given by an angel to King Solomon, which aims to strengthen memory, eloquence and understanding across the liberal arts.
What does Notory Art mean?
Notory comes from the Latin word for a mark or note. The art is named for its short notes, or figures, which are said to hold the knowledge of whole fields of learning in a few signs.
Who wrote the Ars Notoria and when?
No author is known. The text is attributed to Solomon and explained by Apollonius. Scholars date the earliest manuscripts to the thirteenth century, with roots in older traditions. Robert Turner published an English version in 1657.
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