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The Occult, Witchcraft and Magic: An Illustrated History Hardcover – October 18, 2016
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The curious history of magic and the powers of the occult, witchcraft, ritual, and the imagination, from their earliest appearances to modern times
From the days of the earliest Paleolithic cave rituals, magic has gripped the imagination. Magic and magicians appear in early Babylonian texts, the Bible, Judaism, and Islam. Secret words, spells, and incantations lie at the heart of nearly every mythological tradition. But for every genuine magus there is an impostor.
During the Middle Ages, religion, science, and magic were difficult to set apart. The Middle Ages also saw the pursuit of alchemy―the magical transformation of base materials―which led to a fascination with the occult, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucianism.
The turn of the twentieth century witnessed a return to earlier magical traditions, and today, magic means many things: contemporary Wicca is practiced widely as a modern pagan religion in Europe and the US; “magic” also stretches to include the nonspiritual, rapid-fire sleight of hand performed by slick stage magicians who fill vast arenas.
The Occult, Witchcraft and Magic is packed with authoritative text and a huge and inspired selection of images, some chosen from unusual sources, including some of the best-known representations of magic and the occult from around the world spanning ancient to modern times.
400+ illustrations, 300+ in colorReview
― Publishers Weekly (starred review)
About the Author
- Print length400 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherThames & Hudson
- Publication dateOctober 18, 2016
- Dimensions8.4 x 1.4 x 10.3 inches
- ISBN-100500518882
- ISBN-13978-0500518885
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Product details
- Publisher : Thames & Hudson (October 18, 2016)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0500518882
- ISBN-13 : 978-0500518885
- Item Weight : 3.76 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.4 x 1.4 x 10.3 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #435,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #918 in Occultism
- #1,184 in Witchcraft Religion & Spirituality
- #1,395 in Magic Studies (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022
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The paper is good quality, heavy and slightly glossy. The colour illustrations are excellent. The illustrations are the primary material of this book. The text is almost just to fill in some background to help with the understanding.
The format is roughly a subject to a spread with illustrations and a little text. The text is brief, and goes into little depth, but covers a great many aspects. This format is not imposed rigidly and some subjects cover multiple spreads. There is not enough detail to become bored with it, and it might initiate research into areas of interest in more detailed works.
For an introductory text on arcane teachings of many peoples I have not seen a better one. I think anyone would
be happy to own this book. I have been interested by some of these teachings for many years (currently reading the White Goddess), but this book will remain a pleasure to own and to refer back to.
This is a gem of a book.






















