The occult, witchcraft & magic - Christopher Dell

From the earliest Paleolithic cave rituals, magic has gripped the imagination. Magic
and magicians appear in early Babylonian texts, the Bible, Judaism and Islam. Secret
words, spells and incantations lie at the heart of every mythological tradition. Today,
magic means many things: contemporary Wicca is practised widely as a modern pagan
religion in Europe and the US; 'magic' also evokes the cathartic rituals of Chaos magic,
but stretches to include the non-spiritual, rapid-fire sleight of hand performed by slick
stage magicians who fill vast arenas.

The Occult, Witchcraft and Magic
is packed with authoritative text and a huge and
inspired selection of images, chosen from unusual and hidden sources. The material
is presented in 100 entries, and includes some of the best-known representations of
magic and the occult from around the world.