{"product_id":"true-history-of-merlin-the-magician-book-anne-lawrence-mathers-9780300253085","title":"The True History of Merlin the Magician","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWho was the historical Merlin?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Merlin the Magician has remained an enthralling and curious individual since he was first introduced in the twelfth century though the pages of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s \u003ci\u003eHistoria Regum Britanniae\u003c\/i\u003e.  But although the Merlin of literature and Arthurian myth is well known, Merlin the \"historical\" figure and his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this book Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores just who he was and what he has meant to Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe historical Merlin was no rough magician: he was a learned figure from the cutting edge of medieval science and adept in astrology, cosmology, prophecy, and natural magic, as well as being a seer and a proto-alchemist. His powers were convincingly real—and useful, for they helped to add credibility to the \"long-lost\" history of Britain which first revealed them to a European public. Merlin’s prophecies reassuringly foretold Britain’s path, establishing an ancient ancestral line and linking biblical prophecy with more recent times. Merlin helped to put British history into world history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLawrence-Mathers also explores the meaning of Merlin’s magic across the centuries, arguing that he embodied ancient Christian and pagan magical traditions, recreated for a medieval court and shaped to fit a new moral framework. Linking Merlin’s reality and power with the culture of the Middle Ages, this remarkable book reveals the true impact of the most famous magician of all time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49736241873169,"sku":"NGR9780300253085","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49756213608721,"sku":"GOR012106705","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50259482706193,"sku":"GOR013901153","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52548055236881,"sku":"CIN0300253087G","price":16.01,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53256362623249,"sku":"GOR014837003","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53360367960337,"sku":"NLS9780300253085","price":18.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0300253087.jpg?v=1750876591","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/true-history-of-merlin-the-magician-book-anne-lawrence-mathers-9780300253085","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}