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Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present
Maybe someday
35
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
12/100Critics
7/100Scholars
88/100Author:
Chris Gosden
Publisher:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Date:
November 10, 2020
A University of Oxford archaeology professor explores magic as an enduring element of human behavior with an important role for individuals and cultures. From the curses and charms of ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish magic, to the shamanistic traditions of Eurasia, indigenous America, and Africa; from the alchemy of the Renaissance to the condemnation of magic in the colonial period and the mysteries of modern quantum physics, Gosden supplies a missing chapter of the story of our civilization.
What The Reviewers Say
... [an] enlightening history.
The contents of Mr. Gosden’s cauldron are almost as eclectic as the ingredients that Macbeth’s hags favored. There are delightfully entertaining passages, especially on picturesque spells.
His book is breathtaking in scope.
Gosden treats readers to a history of humanity through the lens of magic.
