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A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult

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A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult

By: DK
Narrated by: Susie Riddell
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Summary

Discover the beguiling history of witchcraft, magic, and superstition through the centuries and across the world in this stunningly audiobook.

A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult charts the extraordinary narrative of one of the most interesting and often controversial subjects in the world - from ancient animal worship and shamanism, through alchemy and divination to modern Wicca and the resurgence of the occult in 21st-century literature, cinema, and television.

Providing listeners with a comprehensive, balanced, and unbiased account of everything from Japanese folklore and Indian witchcraft to the differences between black and white magic, and dispelling myths such as those surrounding the voodoo doll and Ouija, this audiobook explores the common human fear of, and fascination with spells, superstition, and the supernatural.

The perfect introduction to magic and the occult, it explores forms of divination from astrology and palmistry to the Tarot and runestones, mystical plants and potions such as mandrake, the presence of witchcraft in literature from Shakespeare's Macbeth to the Harry Potter series, and the ways in which magic has interacted with religion.

The most comprehensive history of witchcraft available, A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult will enthral and fascinate you with its lavish, accessible entries, whether you are a believer or sceptic.

© 2020 Dorling Kindersley Ltd © 2020 DK Audio

Customs & Traditions Magic Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts Religious Studies Social Sciences Parapsychology Witchcraft Mythology Divination Tradition Magic Users Extrasensory Perception Astrology Paranormal Fantasy Shamanism Middle Ages Ancient History Middle East
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A stunning overview of the history of witchcraft. From hoodoo to Christianity and every practice known to mankind, this book has it all. Thoroughly inspiring. The author (british) has fantastic pronunciation throughout, making it an easy listen. Not at all robotic or monotonous like some audio books. I highly recommend this to anyone that wishes to learn about witch and magical history.
I will definitely be listening to this again.

Fantastic

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I get the impression that this is a factual picture book that doesn’t translate to an audiobook format. Loads of facts but no narrative.

Should this be an audiobook?

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The narrator is overall very engaging, though some of her pronunciations are a miss. Otherwise, the history is well researched and clearly presented in what is a short book covering an immensely varied topic of history and sociology.

my main issue is that in the modern section, the author makes the dishearteningly common mistake of thinking all modern magic practices are wiccan when that is simply not true. There is also a clear misunderstanding of what paganism is uniting them under a banner as if they are homogeneous beliefs when they are a loose collection of independent religions and only wiccans follow the wheel of the year, pagans follow the holy calendars of their specific faith.

A good reference book until the chapters starting with Wicca in the final hour-and-a-half.

Great until the end

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I liked that it covered many cultures in a detailed manner. It was absolutely easily digestible and interesting.

It has good depth

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lots of information, but more like a dictionary than a story. I loved hearing about all the different religions.

lots of interesting information

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