The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment

The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment

A rich, wondrous anthology of the Western magical tradition, from the Old Testament to Doctor Faustus and Paradise Lost, now in a Penguin Classics black spine edition
Â
â€œ. . . as when iron is drawn to a magnet, camphor is sucked into hot air, crystal lights up in the Sun, sulfur and a volatile liquid are kindled by flame, an empty eggshell filled with dew is raised towards the Sun . . .â€
Â
The Bible is full of stories featuring forms of magic and possessionâ€”from Moses battling with Pharaohâ€™s wizards to the supernatural actions of Jesus and his disciples. As, over the following centuries, the Christian church attempted to stamp out â€œdeviantâ€ practices, a persistent interest in magic drew strength from this Biblical validation. A strange blend of mumbo-jumbo, fear, fraud, and deeply serious study, magic was at the heart of the European Renaissance, fascinating many of its greatest figures.
Â
This is a book filled with incantations, charms, curses, summonings, cures, and descriptions of extraordinary, shadowy, only half-understood happenings from long ago. It features writers as various as Thomas Aquinas, John Milton, John Dee, Ptolemy, and Paracelsus along with anonymous ancient and medieval works that were, in some cases, viewed as simply too dangerous even to open.
Â
The Book of Magic will be welcomed by everyone from those with the most casual interest in the magical tradition to anyone drawn to the Renaissance and the tangled, arcane roots of the scientific tradition.
Â
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Country USA
Brand Penguin Classics
Manufacturer Penguin Classics
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780141393148
Color Multicolor
ReleaseDate 2017-03-07
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9780141393148

Country	USA
Brand	Penguin Classics
Manufacturer	Penguin Classics
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780141393148
Color	Multicolor
ReleaseDate	2017-03-07
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9780141393148

The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment

You might also like...