The Power of Magic: Secrets and Mysteries Ancient and Modern

by Julia Parker and Derek Parker

Book Overview

Spirits, spells, rites and rituals: throughout history, people have used magic to heal illness, control nature, and fulfill their desires. But what exactly is magic, and how does it work? Can psychological factors influence its success? What distinguishes it from religion, and do shamans and soothsayers really possess special powers? The answers are here, illuminated by color photos and illustrations of cave drawings, demons and devils, symbols, and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671769219
• ISBN13: 9780671769215
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 221 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.3" x 10.6"

Customer Reviews

Fascination Introduction to What is Magic

This book gives a very good introduction to what is magic. Most of the book is about the past, covering spells, incantations, potions, superstitions, etc. I find some parts of the book amusing, especially the ingredients of some of the potions (eg. love potions).Some spells and magic stuff are shown. Having read numerous books on magic, I know that they are real. While these book may not turn the reader into a wizard or a witch, it certainly does a great job at showing what magic was like. About 50 pages of the book (the book is about 215 pages, excluding Afterword, Glossary, Acknowledgement, and Index)is the other part of the book, Part 2 - Living Magic. This part is about modern magic, covering healing and medicine, witchcraft today, numerology and even psychic surgery (although I am not sure this should more logically be classified under "psi" than "magic").The photographs are of good quality and adds appeal to the book. To anyone who have not idea of what is magic or those who want to have a good, accurate overview of magic, this book is highly recommended.