Grimoires: A History of Magic Books [Hardcover]

The first ever history of magic books - orgrimoires- from the ancient Middle East through to the modern day, from harmless charms and remedies to sinister pacts with the Devil.No books have been more feared than grimoires, and no books have been more valued and revered. InGrimoires: A History of Magic Books, Owen Davies illuminates the many fascinating forms these recondite books have taken and exactly what these books held. At their most benign, these repositories of forbidden knowledge revealed how to make powerful talismans and protective amulets, and provided charms and conjurations for healing illness, finding love, and warding off evil. But other books promised the power to control innocent victims, even to call up the devil. Davies traces the history of this remarkably resilient and adaptable genre, from the ancient Middle East to modern America, offering a new perspective on the fundamental developments of western civilization over the past two thousand years.Grimoiresshows the influence magic and magical writing has had on the cultures of the world, richly demonstrating the role they have played in the spread of Christianity, the growth of literacy, and the influence of western traditions from colonial times to the present.Introduction1. Spells from the east2. Conjuring clergy3. War against magic4. Enlightenment and treasure5. Crossing the oceans6. Rediscovering ancient magic7. Grimoires USA8. Pulp magic9. Reinventing the grimoireConclusionNotesIndexIntroduction1. Ancient and Medieval Grimoires2. The War against Magic3. Enlightenment and Treasure4. Across the Oceans5. Rediscovering Ancient Magic6. Grimoires USA7. Pulp Magic8. Lovecraft, Satan, and Shadows9. EpilogueFurther ReadingNotesIndexOwen Daviesis Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire. His previous books includeThe Haunted: A Social History of Ghosts;Murder, Magic, Madness: The Victorian Trials of Dove and the Wizard; l#u