Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present by Chris Gosden

Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present
Chris Gosden
Page: 512
Format: pdf, ePub, mobi, fb2
ISBN: 9780374200121
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Download eBook

Pdf file ebook download Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present English version 9780374200121

An Oxford professor of archaeology explores the unique history of magic—the oldest and most neglected strand of human behavior and its resurgence today

Three great strands of belief run through human history: Religion is the relationship with one god or many gods, masters of our lives and destinies. Science distances us from the world, turning us into observers and collectors of knowledge. And magic is direct human participation in the universe: we have influence on the world around us, and the world has influence on us.

Over the last few centuries, magic has developed a bad reputation—thanks to the unsavory tactics of shady practitioners, and to a successful propaganda campaign on the part of religion and science, which denigrated magic as backward, irrational, and "primitive." In Magic, however, the Oxford professor of archaeology Chris Gosden restores magic to its essential place in the history of the world—revealing it to be an enduring element of human behavior that plays 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's startling, fun, and colorful history supplies a missing chapter of the story of our civilization.

Drawing on decades of research around the world—touching on the first known horoscope, a statue ordered into exile, and the mystical power of tattoos—Gosden shows what magic can offer us today, and how we might use it to rethink our relationship with the world. Magic is an original, singular, and sweeping work of scholarship, and its revelations will leave a spell on the reader.

Monarch Library System - Monarch Catalog
        Notes: "Originally published in 2020 by Viking, Great Britain, as The History of Magic: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the present." Includes 
        The History of Magic From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice
        The History of Magic From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present by Chris Gosden. (0 customer reviews). 17.43 $ 38.56 $. A remarkable 
        History of Magic, The: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice
        History of Magic, The: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present. Chris Gosden. Format: Hardback. Publisher: Penguin Books 
        The History Of Magic: From Alchemy To Witchcraft, From The
        Pre-Order The History Of Magic: From Alchemy To Witchcraft, From The Ice Age To The Present: Author: Chris Gosden: Published by: Penguin 
        Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age
        Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present Hardcover – November 10, 2020.

Items