The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic

by Owen Davies (Editor)

Overview

This richly illustrated history provides a readable and fresh approach to the extensive and complex story of witchcraft and magic. Telling the story from the dawn of writing in the ancient world to the globally successful Harry Potter films, the authors explore a wide range of magical beliefs and practices, the rise of the witch trials, and the depiction of the Devil-worshipping witch. The book also focuses on the more recent history of witchcraft and magic, from the Enlightenment to the present, exploring the rise of modern magic, the anthropology of magic around the globe, and finally the cinematic portrayal of witches and magicians, from The Wizard of Oz to Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191034008
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	02/09/2017
Series:	Oxford Illustrated History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
File size:	52 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Owen Davies is Professor of Social History at the University of Hertfordshire. He has written extensively on the history of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, and popular medicine, including The Haunted: A Social History of Ghosts (2007), Grimoires: A History of Magic Books (2009), Paganism: A Very Short Introduction (2011), Magic: A Very Short Introduction (2012), and most recently America Bewitched: The Story of Witchcraft after Salem (2013).

Table of Contents

• Editor's Foreword
• 1: Peter Maxwell-Stuart: Magic in the Ancient World
• 2: Sophie Page: Medieval Magic
• 3: James Sharpe: The Demonologists
• 4: Rita Voltmer: The Witch Trials
• 5: Charles Zika: The Witch and Magician in European Art
• 6: Owen Davies: The World of Popular Magic
• 7: Owen Davies: The Rise of Modern Magic
• 8: Robert J. Wallis: Witchcraft and Magic in the Age of Anthropology
• 9: Willem de Blécourt: Witches on Screen
• Further Reading
• Picture acknowledgements
• Index

Editorial Reviews

"As such, the most important contribution made by The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft is that it engages in contemporary conversations promoted through every chapter that witchcraft and magic are primarily formatted through mediatic normativity. Consequently, illustrations are used as references to the imaginaries embedded in the sometimes-overlapping social climates and cultural differences. In fact, these illustrations complete an already greatly refined and up-to-date history of witches and sorcerers one that pertains to every discipline in the humanities and social sciences concerned with issues of power and alterity."—Reading Religion

"As per usual for the series, this volume is thorough in its coverage. From the rise of demonology in the Middle Ages to the appearance of Samantha on Bewitched, the contributors cover a lot of ground..." —Booklist

From the Publisher