Faustus by Leo Ruickbie
Five hundred years ago a legend was born. The seeker after forbidden knowledge is lured into signing a pact with the Devil. He enjoys the fruits of his deal in wild adventures, riotous high-living and in the arms of beautiful women, but cannot escape his end in the fiery clutches of Satan. That is the story that has inspired genius, high art and popular culture around the world, from Beethoven to Cradle of Filth. Hundreds of performances of Goethe’s Faust are staged nightly. Souls are even put up for auction on eBay. The legend of Faustus has assumed a life of its own. But is it the real story? In the first major biography in five hundred years, Dr Ruickbie reveals the truth behind the infamous legend and uncovers the true identity of the man who scandalised sixteenth century Europe. Against all our wildest imaginings Faustus was not a charlatan, nor was he in league with the Devil. We should not think of him as the pact scribbling diabolist, but as a renaissance magician, albeit controversial and condemned by his peers. In an age of spiritual hunger, economic collapse, war and prophecies of doom – an age not unlike the Renaissance – it is a story for our times.
Described as 'a young Van Helsing' in The Ghost Club Journal, Dr Leo Ruickbie has been investigating, writing about and experiencing the bizarre side of life - from vampire epidemics (there really was one) to sightings of angels - for most of his professional career. He has a PhD from King's College, London, on modern witchcraft and magic, and is the author of Witchcraft Out of the Shadows, Faustus: The Life and Times of a Renaissance Magician, A Brief Guide to the Supernatural, and A Brief Guide to Ghost Hunting, as well as being published in Fortean Times, Paranormal magazine, academic journals and the national press. He is also the co-editor of Little Horrors: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Anomalous Children and the Construction of Monstrosity with Dr Simon Bacon, and The Material Culture of Magic with Dr Antje Bosselmann-Ruickbie. His work has been mentioned in the media from The Guardian to Radio Jamaica, and his expertise has been sought by film companies and the likes of the International Society for Human Rights. He is an Associate of King's College, London, and a member of Societas Magica, the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism, the Society for Psychical Research and the Parapsychological Association. He is a committee member of the Gesellschaft fü¾Œ¶Œ¼1/4r Anomalistik (Society for Anomalistics) and is the editor of the Paranormal Review, the magazine of the Society for Psychical Research. As a Scotsman, the impossible zoo has always been a living folk memory: he has stood on the banks of Loch Ness and stared into those sullen waters.
Visit him online at www.witchology.com
Visit him online at www.witchology.com
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780750950909 |
| ISBN 10 | 0750950900 |
| Title | Faustus |
| Author | Leo Ruickbie |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | The History Press Ltd |
| Year published | 2009-04-01 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |