Are there any authoritative texts on ritual magic, commerce with the spirit world, etc.?

Question

If you list any, please also explain what makes them authoritative.

I understand that this may be difficult for this subject - in other subjects we can fall back on solid and proven principles to show validity and basically sort out the experts from the hacks. When it comes to ritual magic, what provides authority? Is it the age of the theory and/or practice (older theories and practices being more valid than newer ones?), is it the state of being generally accepted by contemporary practitioners that provides authority, or something else?

Answer 1

lesser keys of solomon

the goetia etc

the key of solomon was written by solomon, one of the first to actually document his experiences with ritual magic, summoning, binding, etc. it's about as authoritative as you can get...

Answer 2

The lesser key of solomon is a fake. Period. It comes from 17th century Europe. It was not written by the Biblical King Solomon, who was not even any kind of wizard or magician. He was an ancient Hebrew king, and Judaism strictly forbids occult practices such as sorcery and divination.

The same is true of most other "ancient magical grimoires" and mystical texts, few of which are really all that ancient (most were penned during the later middle-ages). You can find copies of all of these occult books in any Borders bookstore in the New Age section, next to books by Silver Ravenwolf (Wiccan scam-artist) and Syliva Brown (fake t.v. psychic).