Grimoires by Davies

Grimoires by Davies

No books have been more feared than grimoires, and no books have been more valued and revered. In Grimoires: 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. Grimoires shows 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.

For anyone interested in magical writing and publication, it's essential* Steven Moore, Fortean Times *
Undoubtedly an important contribution to the field...The range of research here is, frankly astonishing. * Steven Moore, Fortean Times *

Owen Davies is Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire. He has written extensively on the history of popular magic, witchcraft, and ghosts.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780199590049
ISBN 10	0199590044
Title	Grimoires
Author	Davies
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2010-09-23
Number of pages	400
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.