Customer Reviews

The Romance of Sorcery

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Sax Rohmer is best known as the author of the Fu Manchu books, many of which have been made into films. However, he was also a historian of mysticism and the occult, and A Guide to Magic, Sorcery, and the Paranormal, which was first published almost 100 years ago, was the only non-fiction book Rohmer ever wrote. Through this work he wanted to tell the layman about his interest, and as a result of this he never digs very deep into his subjects, but throughout the book writes enough to make the reader interested and inspired to make his or her own research.

So what, then, is it that Rohmer writes about? Well, as the title says, magic, sorcery, and the paranormal, seen through a historical perspective, focusing on some of the most prominent characters ever to have explored the occult. Rohmer mentions, among other individuals, Michel de Notre Dame (also known as Nostradamus), Dr. John Dee, count Cagliostro, and founder of theosophy Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. It's very obvious that the book is indeed written to the layman, since Rohmer repeatedly assures his reader that he's not going to dig too deep into his subject matter, and except for a few instances he never offers any thorough description of rituals and methods.

There's not a complete lack of scepticism, but on the other hand, it's not very apparent, but then again, A Guide to Magic, Sorcery, and the Paranormal never claims to be a book by a skeptic for a skeptic. It's, just like the back of it says, an introduction to magic, sorcery, and the paranormal, but it's by far not the best introduction out there. There are tons of newer, better, and especially cheaper books available these days, but it was definitely worth reading and I truly did appreciate it.

But it's not a cheap experience, though. The price is quite high, and many people might find it a bit too much for a book that really doesn't have anything extraordinary to say. However, any serious collector of books about the occult should grab it immediately, and I'm very proud to have it in my bookshelf.