The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage

A 5x5 grid stamped in gold leaf onto a dark, pebbled leather book binding. The grid contains the letters of the "Sator Square" arranged such that they read the same horizontally and vertically, forwards and backwards.

original: "Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas". This Latin word square is a unique palindrome that reads the same top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top, left-to-right, and right-to-left. While its exact meaning is debated, a common translation is: "The sower, Arepo, guides the wheels with care."

Sator Square A word square containing a five-word Latin palindrome.
Palindrome A word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward.
Sator Latin for "sower," "planter," or "founder."
Arepo A proper name, possibly of Celtic origin, or a coded word; it appears nowhere else in Latin literature.
Tenet Latin for "he holds," "keeps," or "guides."
Opera Latin for "work," "care," or "labor."
Rotas Latin for "wheels."