The occult, witchcraft & magic an illustrated history

From 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 every mythological tradition. Today, magic means many things: contemporary Wicca is practised widely as a modern pagan religion in Europe and the US; 'magic' also evokes the cathartic rituals of Chaos magic, but stretches to include the non-spiritual, rapid-fire sleight of hand performed by slick stage magicians who fill vast arenas. The book is packed with authoritative text and a huge and inspired selection of images, chosen from unusual and hidden sources. The material is presented in 100 entries, and includes some of the best-known representations of magic and the occult from around the world.

Introduction -- Ancient magic -- Mesopotamian magic -- Astrology & magic -- Zoroaster -- Ancient Egyptian magic -- Amulets & talismans -- Thoth -- Magic in the Old Testament -- King Solomon -- Ancient Chinese magic -- Magic wands & staffs -- II. Greek & Roman magic -- Magic in Ancient Greece -- Hecate -- Spells, incantations, & magic words -- Circe -- Magic in Ancient Rome -- Cups & balls -- Greek magical papyri -- Love magic -- Hermes Trismegistus -- Jewish mysticism & Kabbalah -- Magic in early Christianity -- III. Northern magic -- Celtic magic -- Divination -- Druids -- Magical places -- Norse & Germanic magic -- Magical objects -- Charms, runes, & sigils -- Merlin -- The Arthurian legends -- Morgan le Fay -- IV. Medieval magic -- Microcosm & Macrocosm -- Magical shapes & symbols -- Albertus Magnus -- Demonology -- The persecution of magic -- Grimoires -- Medicine & magic -- Magical plants -- Nicolas Flamel -- V. Renaissance magic -- Hermeticism in the Renaissance -- Giovanni Pico della Mirandola -- Artes magicae -- Science & magic -- Giordano Bruno -- Magic in Renaissance literature -- Nostradamus -- Witchcraft & its pursuit -- Alchemy -- John Dee -- VI. World of magic -- Shamanism -- Native American magic -- Voodoo & hoodoo -- Latin American magic -- Magic in Africa -- Magic in South East Asia -- Far Eastern magic -- Magical creatures -- VII. Enlightenment magic -- Magic & rationalism -- Folk magic in Europe -- Elias Ashmole -- Automata & phantasmagoria -- Joseph Pinetti -- Rosicrucianism -- Freemasonry -- Alessandro Cagliostro -- Mesmerism -- Magic at court -- VIII. The magic revival -- Gothic magic -- Spiritualism -- Stage magic in the 19th century -- Chiromancy -- Eliphas Levi -- Magical potions -- Ritual & magic -- Theosophy -- Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn -- Aleister Crowley -- Tarot -- IX. Modern magic -- Wicca -- Gerald Gardner -- Magic in modern culture -- Dion Fortune -- Chaos magic -- Austin Osmar Spare -- Contemporary magic -- Further reading

& list of quotations -- Magical places to visit -- List of illustrations -- Index -- Acknowledgments.