The main problem that confronts a student of The Revelations of Glaaki is not the extreme scarcity of copies, but rather the corruption of the text in the oft-cited (though still extremely rare) Golden Goblin edition of the work.  It is very fortunate, then, that noted scholar Antonius Quine has issued his own edition of this very unique tome, published by the prestigious Standish Press.

According to Quine, the editors at Golden Goblin divided their edition (based on an error-laden copy of the original manuscript) into an arbitrary number of volumes, which changed with every publication.  This first Standish edition, based on the manuscript rather than the Golden Goblin book, brings together the whole of the work for the first time in publication.

The book begins with a short introduction by Quine, describing the history of The Revelations of Glaaki and the Glaaki cult.  It seems that the Glaaki cult was scattered in the 1860s, but was reconstituted in 1942, and has been adding to the Revelations ever since.  The Standish edition includes these additions, whereas the various Golden Goblin editions and their successors obviously do not.  Quine also talks about the academic value of certain sections of the Revelations, which seem to have been copied from books that no longer exist.

What makes the Revelations of Glaaki truly unique is the way it appears to be stitched together from a number of different books.  For hundreds of years, anything the cult of Glaaki thought significant enough to be added to their holy writ was copied into an ever-growing tome that acted as their Bible.  The result is disturbingly consistent, though this is probably just the result of selective copying;  Any passages which minimized the importance of Glaaki would simply not have been copied.

The Revelations of Glaaki itself is divided into two main sections. The first, and longest part, titled The Book of Servants, is presented as the work of the modern cult of Glaaki.  Some of the writing is original, detailing cult beliefs or presenting information supposedly revealed to cult members by the god Glaaki.  Much of the writing is copied from other sources, including such works as De Vermis Mysteriis, The Ponape Scriptures, and even the Necronomicon of Abdul Alhazred. Of course, the writers were careful to note, at the start of each of these copied sections, that the text was “recorded for the glory of Glaaki,” or “translated for the glory of Glaaki.”

It is interesting to note that certain quotes from the Necronomicon found within this version of The Revelations of Glaaki agree word-for-word with Quine's Necronomicon translation.  Is it possible that Quine's ties with the cult of Glaaki are far closer than he lets on in his introduction?  This would certainly explain how he managed to get his hands on the original manuscript for The Revelations of Glaaki, something the cult has guarded closely for at least two hundred years.  He does state that “the increasingly open attitudes of the cult's present leadership... lead directly to the publication of this volume.”  On the other hand, it may simply be that a cult member had access to Quine's Necronomicon, and copied down some of the text.  (This may be more likely, as there are chapters in The Revelations of Glaaki attributed to the Necronomicon which do not appear at all in the Quine Necronomicon.)

The second main section of The Revelations of Glaaki is titled The Book of Masters, and is described as “Writings of the Disciples of Glaaki in the Ancient World.”  Quine notes that “It does appear that the Cult of Glaaki regards the Book of Masters as evidence that their religion is far older than Christianity.”  Unlike The Book of Servants, the chapters in this second part are not attributed to specific sources, though such luminaries as Eibon, Klarkash-Ton, and even Ech-Pi-El appear to be present.  The Book of Masters also does not adhere to the convention, found in The Book of Servants, of labeling every chapter as being, in one way or another, “for the glory of Glaaki.”

The Book of Masters contains various stories, legends, and invocations.  It has a chapter containing collected bits of wisdom from Eibon, and a brief chapter describing Nyarlathotep. It also contains the “Sigil of Green Decay,” a symbol whose use and meaning is only hinted at in the accompanying chapter. The longest chapter in this section, titled “Legacy of the Ancients,” contains a large number of fragments attributed to various ancient magi, describing their knowledge and adventures.  These are scattered and confused, as one might expect from ancient fragments, but still interesting.

The Revelations of Glaaki closes with “The Benediction of Glaaki,” a blatant parody or imitation of Christian belief, altered to fit the tenets of the cult of Glaaki.  This appears to be intended as a conclusion to the work as a whole, rather than a part of The Book of Masters.

Quine's Revelations of Glaaki is so superior to other published versions that reading it is like having access to the original manuscript.  It may even be better than that, as the manuscript does not have Quine's introduction, and is presumably not so neatly printed and bound.  The text provides a fascinating look inside the workings and beliefs of the cult of Glaaki.  This extremely limited edition is definitely worth checking out, if you can find a copy.