The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A rich, strange anthology of the western magical tradition, from the Old Testament to Doctor Faustus and Paradise Lost '. . . 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 . . .' An odd feature of the Bible is that it is full of stories featuring forms of magic and possession - from Joseph battling with Pharaoh's wizards to the supernatural actions of Jesus and his disciples. As, over the following centuries, the Christian church attempted to stamp out 'deviant' practices, there was a persistent interest in magic that drew strength from this Biblical validation. A strange blend of mumbo-jumbo, fraud and deeply serious study, magic was central to the European Renaissance, fascinating many of its greatest figures. Brian Copenhaver's wonderful anthology 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.

Reviews

This illuminating book should dispel the notion that magic was just superstition and secure its place in the history of ideas... for anyone wanting a more informed view of the uses of enchantment, Copenhaver's volume is a peerless resource -- Philip Ball * Prospect *

Author Bio

Brian Copenhaver is Professor of Philosophy and History at the University of California, Los Angeles and is one of the world's foremost scholars on Renaissance magic and mysticism. This book is in many ways a summa of the interests and writers with which he has been preoccupied throughout his career.