Magic Words: A Dictionary (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: magical alphabets, black wizards, writing prompts, Common Magician's Applications, Steve Charney, Funny Magic Tricks Complete (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A vividly written introduction includes contemplations on ritual and pronunciation, and each multi-paragraph entry explains meanings, origins, and literary references. --Library Journal, October 2008

”I am in awe of the volume and variety of the usages and references discussed: the research seems monumental. . . . Recommended as a very useful resource...“ ---Phil Willmarth, Linking Ring Magazine

”Wonderful.“ ---Graham P. Collins, editor of Scientific American

”[A]n impressive work. . . “ ---Brad Henderson, MAGIC, The Magazine for Magicians

Product Description

Magic Words: A Dictionary is a one-of-a-kind resource for armchair linguists, pop-culture enthusiasts, Pagans, Wiccans, magicians, and trivia nuts alike. Brimming with the most intriguing magic words and phrases from around the world and illustrated throughout with magical symbols and icons, Magic Words is a dictionary like no other.

More than seven-hundred essay style entries describe the origins of magical words as well as historical and popular variations and fascinating trivia. With sources ranging from ancient Medieval alchemists to modern stage magicians, necromancers, and wizards of legend to miracle workers throughout time, Magic Words is a must have for any scholar of magic, language, history, and culture.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Weiser Books (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578634342
• ISBN-13: 978-1578634347
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #338,321 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic Words for every occassion, December 25, 2008

By	Chela (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

I just got "Magic Words: A Dictionary." What fun! Magic words taken from literature, plays, movies; all the way from Ovid to Shakespeare to Ronald Hutton to J.K. Rowling!

Each word is presented as a word (with variations, if any) and then
in a quote, and then meanings are given from many historical sources.

It would be interesting to sprinkle them in my conversation or journal writing or even for magic! Alakazam and abracadabra and hocus pocus, but also Hola Noa Massa, and Lit Flitt Latt Flight, and Shubismack. They are even just fun to say.

There is also an Appendix of "magic words" used by people in various professions - "action" for movies, "troubleshoot" for computer technicians.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic Words from a Magic Book, January 10, 2009

By	Anthony Marais (Wiesbaden, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Magic Words is more than a dictionary - it is an impassioned call to writers, magicians and laypeople to bring magic back into their vocabulary. It is, in fact, an incantation calling forth the demons hidden within our speech, and no reader will finish this book without succumbing to its spell.

Let there be no doubt about it: Conley is on a mission to promote literacy, and his love of words possesses the cabbalistic reverence of an alchemist in pursuit of gold. For it is in the meaning of each word, of each letter of each word, that we discover the mysterious powers of language - or, as the author puts it, it is the inherent enchantment of the word that gives literature its magical influence. And this book will influence you in a most magical way.

Anthony Marais, author of "The Cure"

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating dictionary packed with magic words and phrases from around the world, December 14, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Any interested in the words and philosophy of Wicca and magic will find MAGIC WORDS a fascinating dictionary packed with magic words and phrases from around the world. Over seven hundred essay-style entries probe the origins of magical words, their history, and their variations. Sources range from ancient Medieval alchemists to modern necromancers and magical legends, making for a fine trivia and study reference.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch