A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult

De: DK

Narrado por: Susie Riddell

Discover the beguiling history of witchcraft, magic, and superstition through the centuries and across the world in this stunning 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 enthrall and fascinate you with its lavish, accessible entries, whether you are a believer or skeptic.

©2020 Dorling Kindersley Ltd (P)2020 DK Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“This book provides a fascinating overview of the history of magic, with some emphasis on witchcraft and the occult, presented in an easily browsed, highly visual format.” (Booklist)

Loved it

I love this book. Very informative. Had to order to highlight and study. Shared with friends

Don’t listen while driving.

I found the book informative, however like the Handbook for the Recently Deceased a bit like stereo instructions. This was not helped by the narrators almost rushed reading. It will knock you out or make you drift off.

Decent Primer on Magical Traditions

This is a very brief but solid review of many of the world's magical traditions. It by no means provides a deep examination of any one magical belief or practice but it makes up for that in it's breadth and speed. Speaking to the audible version specifically, I was very impressed by the narrator's pronunciations of the multivarious names, places and ritual items which are encompassed in the book. Truly bravura effort.

The book is clearly an illustration rich volume and occasionally you will hear evidence of that in the audio. There are many instances where the narrator will refer to a non-existent picture or illustration but none of that is distracting in the least to the overall experience.

Aside from that I would recommend this audio book for anyone interested in dipping their toe into the history of magical traditions around the world. Just know that this is only your first stop.

Very Pleased!🙃🙂

I was feeling kinda reserved about trying audible books on my Wiccan/pagan/heathen interest but after just a few chapters of a few different things it's as good as my paper books as far as access but visual aid would be Handy especially when Herb gathering. All in All impressed.
Blessed Be

Like a topical index, extensive, with repetitions

Here and there the catalog touches on topics I was familiar with; seems accurate, but about as quotable as Wikipedia if you need to write a research paper, but lacking reference to source material. What Zeus, Yahweh, Odin, etc can do is magic in the same breath that a rabbit's foot is magic. About the only magic excluded in this compendium is the belief in democracy.

I enjoyed

This was terrific historical and more recent history. It gave a lot of insight into the past and present of magic

So much information!

Very well written and read! I learned so much about different practices and crafts! 10/10 recommend!

Well done.

I've listened to the book twice before writing this review. Prior to purchasing it, I read most of its reviews.

Honestly, I'm deeply disappointed with many of the critical reviews, which, by-and-large seem to have been written by people with extremely unrealistic expectations.

I went looking for a source of information that covered as much of the history of these topics as possible, and that's exactly what I found here. It's a history book, exactly like what you'd expect to get on the first day of any History class in any school in America.

It spans nearly all of human civilization, which is precisely what you'd hope for in a history text on a topic that spans all of human civilization. Many reviews are critical of the fact that it doesn't do a "deep dive" into every topic, apparently without realizing that any document to attempt this would literally be too large for print in a single volume.

Some reviews are critical about repeated information, but this is exactly how it should be done. The text doesn't assume you've consumed and retained every word before it; it repeats keywords to be sure you understand the current topic and to mn lxh#aid in retention. Again, EXACTLY like any good history book would do.

There are even reviews criticizing the narrator's pronunciations. She's obviously Brittish, and they do pronounce some words differently over there, but she does an amazing job, especially on terms that have nothing to do with the English language. These criticisms feel much more like discrimination than critique.

The book isn't flawless, of course. Nothing is. Occasionally, it seemed like I could see a lack of deep understanding on a particular topic, but given that the text is not intended to delve deeply into individual topics, this didn't bother me.

This credit was well and enjoyably spent.

Solid overview...

Macro look at all this subject matter. There's no deep diving here. Just basics. But a good overview. Good reading by Riddell.

Straightforward

Almost encyclopedic in its presentation. If you’re looking for straight facts, this is it. If you want memorable anecdotes, it’s probably not for you. Likewise, there are better histories of you want a history of a specific location or DnD supplement.