Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells
A copiously illustrated global history of magic books, from ancient papyri to pulp paperbacks "A beautiful production: a typographic and calligraphic treat as treasurable as a rare magical text itself. Almost every page is filled with wonder."--Suzi Feay, The Spectator Grimoires, textbooks of magic and occult knowledge, have existed through the ages alongside other magic and religious texts in part because of the need to create a physical record of magical phenomena, but also to enact magic through spells and rituals. To understand the history of these texts is to understand the influence of the major religions, the development of early science, the cultural influence of print, the growth of literacy, the social impact of colonialism, and the expansion of esoteric cultures across the oceans. In more than two hundred color illustrations from ancient times to the present, renowned scholar Owen Davies examines little-studied artistic qualities of grimoires, revealing a unique world of design and imagination. The book takes a global approach, considering Egyptian and Greek papyri, ancient Chinese bamboo scripts, South American pulp prints, and Japanese demon encyclopedias, among other examples. This book will enchant readers interested in the history of magic and science, as well as in book and manuscript history.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0300272014
ISBN13:9780300272017
Release Date:October 2023
Publisher:Yale University Press
Length:256 Pages
Weight:2.40 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 7.7" x 9.8"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
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Published by Valerie Hibbard , 9 months ago
Pleasantly surprised with this purchase. I'm working on images for products I make for an oddities store, recreating them by drawing overhead images and changing features/interchanging parts of one image with parts of another, combining my own images with those from 1000 years ago (or more) in symbology from many cultures around the world. This has comprehensive details, the author did due diligence with their research and it's clearly presented and organized along with the images. Highly recommend.
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