{"title":"Subcategory Social \u0026 cultural history","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"the-book-of-magic-from-antiquity-to-the-enlightenment","title":"The Book of Magic : From Antiquity to the Enlightenment","description":"\u003cp\u003e'. . . as when iron is drawn to a magnet, camphor is sucked into hot air, crystal lights up in the Sun, sulfur and a volatile liquid are kindled by flame, an empty eggshell filled with dew is raised towards the Sun . . .'This rich, fascinating anthology of the western magical tradition stretches from its roots in the wizardry of the Old Testament and the rituals of the ancient world, through writers such as Thomas Aquinas, John Milton, John Dee and Matthew Hopkins, and up to the tangled, arcane beginnings of the scientific revolution. Arranged historically, with commentary, this book includes incantations, charms, curses, Golems, demons and witches, as well as astrology, divination and alchemy, with some ancient and medieval works which were once viewed as too dangerous even to open.Selected and translated with an introduction and notes by Brian Copenhaver\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brian Copenhaver","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411290366301,"sku":"9780141393148","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0902\/6856\/5853\/files\/the-book-of-magic-from-antiquity-to-enlightenment-witch-please-456.jpg?v=1755483400"},{"product_id":"grimoires-a-history-of-magic-books","title":"Grimoires : A History of Magic Books","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Davies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411290628445,"sku":"9780199590049","price":23.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0902\/6856\/5853\/files\/grimoires-a-history-of-magic-books-book-witch-please-688.jpg?v=1755482587"},{"product_id":"the-magical-history-of-britain","title":"The Magical History of Britain","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this profoundly personal journey through British history, Martin Wall traces the influence of Magic and Myth from the earliest times to the present day. Our abiding myths have endured since before the time of the Druids, reaching their apotheosis in the Arthurian tales and the Glastonbury legends, stories which retain their dynamism and imaginative power. These mythic templates, constantly reinvented, provided a legitimating mission for the British Empire, which mediated them to a worldwide audience. Our spiritual inheritance is shot through with magic. But this book takes in more obscure mysteries, such as ‘Who put Bella in the Wych-Elm?’, a localised ‘tribe of witches’, and a host of extraordinary characters like Doctor John Dee, William Blake, and the notorious Aleister Crowley. In this fascinating account of the occult origins of British culture the author depicts our island story as an outworking of magical destiny - a challenge to us to create our own imaginative system.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Martin Wall","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411290923357,"sku":"9781398109049","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0902\/6856\/5853\/files\/the-magical-history-of-britain-book-witch-please-400.jpg?v=1755480824"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.witchplease.co.uk\/collections\/subcategory-social-cultural-history.oembed","provider":"Witch, Please!","version":"1.0","type":"link"}