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Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present Hardcover – November 10, 2020
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An Oxford professor of archaeology explores the unique history of magic―the oldest and most neglected strand of human behavior and its resurgence today
Three great strands of belief run through human history: Religion is the relationship with one god or many gods, masters of our lives and destinies. Science distances us from the world, turning us into observers and collectors of knowledge. And magic is direct human participation in the universe: we have influence on the world around us, and the world has influence on us.
Over the last few centuries, magic has developed a bad reputation―thanks to the unsavory tactics of shady practitioners, and to a successful propaganda campaign on the part of religion and science, which denigrated magic as backward, irrational, and "primitive." In Magic, however, the Oxford professor of archaeology Chris Gosden restores magic to its essential place in the history of the world―revealing it to be an enduring element of human behavior that plays an important role for individuals and cultures. From the curses and charms of ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish magic, to the shamanistic traditions of Eurasia, indigenous America, and Africa; from the alchemy of the Renaissance to the condemnation of magic in the colonial period and the mysteries of modern quantum physics―Gosden's startling, fun, and colorful history supplies a missing chapter of the story of our civilization.
Drawing on decades of research around the world―touching on the first known horoscope, a statue ordered into exile, and the mystical power of tattoos―Gosden shows what magic can offer us today, and how we might use it to rethink our relationship with the world. Magic is an original, singular, and sweeping work of scholarship, and its revelations will leave a spell on the reader.
- Print length512 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication dateNovember 10, 2020
- Dimensions6.38 x 1.64 x 9.29 inches
- ISBN-100374200122
- ISBN-13978-0374200121
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Shortlisted for the 2021 PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History
Longlisted for the Non-Obvious Book Award
"Chris Gosden achieves the holy grail of bringing together the disparate narratives of magic, science, witchcraft and religion into an intellectual crucible to forge a bold new intellectual history. This magisterial work changes the discourse beyond its own discipline and inspires radical new thinking." ―Judges' citation, PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History
“Eye-opening . . . Gosden persuasively argues that just because something is scientifically questionable does not mean it is not magically successful. If a magical ritual can imbue in us an understanding and sensitivity to the world around us, has it failed? Indeed, what could be better suited to affecting change in our age of ecological devastation than a philosophy that forces us to see the world as an extension of ourselves?” ―George Pendle, Air Mail
"Enlightening . . . Gosden persuasively argues that magic, religion, and science have always existed in tandem, forming a 'triple helix' of understanding running through the course of human history up to the present day. In light of the current climate crisis, and inspired by the discoveries of quantum physics, Gosden furthermore makes a compelling case for a return to the kind of interconnected perspective central to most magical traditions . . . A fascinating exploration of magic’s hold on the human imagination." ―Sara Shreve, Library Journal (starred review)
"Magic: A History is never less than fascinating." ―Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly
"Sophisticated and wide-ranging . . . Gosden’s meticulous account offers many intriguing glimpses of early human societies. Readers with a deep interest in human belief systems will be captivated." ―Publishers Weekly
“Vast and transformational . . . We need, Gosden argues with the wisdom of a sage on a mountain-top, a ‘new magic’ for the 21st century in order to deal with the calamity of climate change.” ―Frances Wilson, The Daily Mail (UK)
“[Magic] is erudite, accessible and expansive . . . Without an unfascinating page . . . [A] remarkable and endlessly interesting volume.” ―Stuart Kelly, The Scotsman (UK)
"Fascinating, original and excellent, written with both narrative flair and deep scholarship, this is a world history, from the steppes of Mongolia to the palaces of London and Paris from prehistory to today, told through the lens of magic, that has always existed alongside and within religion itself, a gripping ride of astonishing span, filled with colorful characters, shamans, witches and kings, esoteric rites and revelatory research. An important and essential read that also happens to be a highly entertaining historical treasure-trove." ―Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Romanovs: 1613–1918
"Impressive and much-needed. Gosden masterfully presents the history of magic from a global perspective, enabling the reader to make fascinating connections between traditions in different places and eras." ―Violet Moller, author of The Map of Knowledge: A Thousand-Year History of How Classical Ideas Were Lost and Found
"'To be human is to be connected.' Chris Gosden shows how magic explores the connections between human beings and the universe in ways different from religion or science, yet deserving of respect. A magisterial account of the central place of magic in many cultures both ancient and modern." ―John Barton, author of A History of The Bible: The Book and Its Faiths
"With his own magic touch, Chris Gosden brilliantly reveals the place of magic in human societies from the Ice Age to the present day in all inhabited continents, and shows how the exercise of magic was an everyday practice that joined the world of the dead to that of the living." ―David Abulafia, author of The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans
"This is an extraordinary work of learning, written with an exhilarating lightness of touch. And it’s flexible: you can read it from cover-to-cover, or just dip in―or both. Chris Gosden has traced the story of magical beliefs from the Old Stone Age to modern times, across all the continents of the world. But it isn’t just a work of archaeology and history: it has increasing relevance for our own times, as we witness the growth of extreme cults and the seditious myths of the post-truth era. It is essential reading." ―Francis Pryor, author of Britain B.C.
“Chris Gosden’s Magic is a major contribution to an important but neglected subject. It should be read not only by archaeologists and anthropologists but by everyone interested in the human condition." ―Barry Cunliffe, author of Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 B.C. to A.D. 1000
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Product details
- Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux (November 10, 2020)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 512 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0374200122
- ISBN-13 : 978-0374200121
- Item Weight : 1.7 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.38 x 1.64 x 9.29 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,033,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,460 in General History of Religion
- #2,078 in History of Religions
- #3,558 in Magic Studies (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2023I bought this book expecting a history of magic, but what it really is, is basically a history of human beliefs and mythologies told through the lens of what we can learn from archeological discoveries, many of them burials and tombs. From Kurgans in the steppes, to Stonehenge, the author meticulously describes the various finds in excavations all over Northern, Western, and Eastern Europe, from the Celts to Catal Höyük.
It's a blast to read with the photos and graphics of finds and artifactsn included with the text, but it's incredible to listen to as an audiobook too - except that listening to it makes me want the hardcopy book while I'm driving so I can look at the photos! lol!
I love this book so much that I took it out of the library as an ebook (multiple times) and as an audiobook (multiple times), and eventually I bought a hardcopy paperback edition.
If you love those PBS, History Channel, and Discovery Channel archeological series where they excavate archeological sites, you will love this book.
Yes, is about magic, but it's about magic from 40,000 years ago in the ice age, up until the 20th century. It's about the oldest religion of all, predating all monotheistic organized religions - predating organized religion in general. And to explore that, there's no better way than to look at the beliefs of humans from times long past, the things that were buried with them, the objects that were considered important for their journey into the afterlife.
It's fascinating and very detailed. I've read it multiple times and keep going back to it. This is truly a book about The Old Ways, the Oldest Ways, if you will, with none of the condescension of so much of 20th century archeology/archaeologists. It's written with respect for the people as they were in the time that the artifacts were created, and by that I don't mean they're is moral relativism, more that there isn't any morality injected into it at all, just pure description.
So, yes, to will read about the tens of horses that were killed and buried with important ice age horse nomadic people in their tombs. If you can't read that without getting upset - and, I admit, my heart breaks a little for those horses - then this is NOT the book for you.
Magic throughout history hasn't been the age of Aquarius white witch stuff of the 60s, 70s and beyond. Humans have done a lot of need up stuff throughout our evolution - and throughout the evolution of our ideas about God's, goddesses, and the forces of nature which ancient man could not understand the way that we do now, with all our scientific knowledge and technology of now. (I mean, organized monotheistic religions of the last two thousand years have done spectacularly horrible things in the name of their god(s), so this really should not come as any great surprise.)
I also appreciate the inclusion of archeao-astronomy (astroarcheology?) - the inclusion of the information about how burials, tombs, kurgans, mounds, etc line up with astronomical phenomena - solstices, equinoxes, other night sky features. It is incredibly fascinating. What a great book.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021Five stars.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2022Dr. Gosden has overall written an excellent book describing a variety of magical practices in human society from across most of the globe since prehistory. It is not so academic as to be unreadable to the average reader, but well researched to be deserving of consideration by other academics in his own and related fields. Gosden also does an excellent job of describing his understanding of the relationship between religion, science, and magic, and how they have been balanced and integrated by various societies over thousands of years.
Before I get into my quibbles, I listened to this as an audio book, and I give Clarke Peters a 5 star performance. For anyone who watches Midsomer Murders, he's in the episode about the Ballad of Midsomer.
Where the book is lacking...
The book is a rather unbalanced in the timeline and is very reflective of the author's own background. Ancient history and prehistoric archaeological finds take up a hefty portion of this book. Once we reach the age of the printing press, though, Gosden starts skimming through a variety of topics such as European witchcraft, alchemy, and pretty much anything after the 1400s. Considering the amount of detail put into his description of Gobleki Tepe, it is almost baffling that so little time is spent on topics such as spiritualism. This is not to say that it isn't there (it is), but it's almost brushed aside in passing, as an "Oh yeah, that existed. Moving along..." He also completely skips over the Indian sub-continent and Hinduism; while he does explain why (it is rather vast and daunting), I still think he could have provided at least an example while still noting that there was an awful lot being left out.
To be sure, he cannot go into detail about everything. But, given the detail dumped on the reader about these earlier archaeological excavations (and I'm sure that was a small smattering of what is available), the lack of comparative detail on the last 400 years leaves the book feeling unbalanced and missing something. I also think it somewhat weakens his thesis regarding the need for a modern magical practice in the face of various environmental disasters facing us from climate change (he explain this much better than I ever could)
While that seems like a major criticism, the book is still very good and definitely worth a read if it is a topic you're interested in. Despite its flaws, the rest of it is good enough to keep it at 4 stars. You will definitely come away having learned something and, even if you disagree with his thesis, at least a better understanding of how people have interacted with the world around them since there were people.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2021This is an outstanding book. Critical reviews are missing what it offers. No, it's not actually a "history of magic," and it's not light reading. But it's an indispensible piece of the puzzle.
Gosden's chief interest is in ancient archaeology. Much of what he covers was unknown before around 2000, and will rewrite history books to de-center Europe and re-connect the West to the rest of Asia/Africa/Europe.
Gosden does a lot of speculating about meanings and functions of archaeological finds - this may not age well. But this is a crucial read for anyone interested in the study of magic, religion, science, and/or anthropology.
Five stars for this intriguing book. If you want a more conventional "history of magic," see Michael Bailey's Magic & Superstition in Europe.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2020Writers will find this work on magic the precise compendium needed to help fill in the knowledge bank~! Chris Gosden has done a superb job and clearly is invested in his subject. It is easy to read this book and absorb the concepts without ascribing to every single belief--or any. That magic is believed in worldwide is indisputable, so it is worth knowing the cultures its roots are in and the diversity of practices. I have been moderately interested in magic since reading Ibn Khaldun's discussion on the same in the 14th century, Gregorian, and of Ibn Battuta's accounts as well. My interest is anthropologolical.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2022The information is very very detailed and certainly thorough, but very dry and difficult to slog through. I felt more like I was reading a college textbook than an interesting guide. I continue to read through and skip around, but I don't think I stayed interested enough to learn about the subject.
Top reviews from other countries
- Christian FriedlReviewed in Germany on July 11, 2024
3.0 out of 5 stars Good overview, but missing in depth
It gives great general outlines of several forms of magic, but doesn't give enough detail to make the skeleton move and make sense.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on July 4, 2021
2.0 out of 5 stars Beat up book
When it arrived the book jacket was all beat up. I’d expect when buying a new book that it be in new condition.
- J AustenReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars The best history of magic?
Chris Gosden’s History of Magic is an enjoyable read, covering all of human history but asking us to reconsider the importance of magic. Although a sizeable book, its scope necessitates that centuries and cultures are sketched briefly. But even in areas where I am knowledgeable and am aware of what has been omitted, I cannot argue with the authors editorial choices. Doubtlessly the reader will be sufficiently interested to dig deeper
Written primarily from the point of view of archeology (but by no means limited to it), we delve into the unknowable past with a reliable guide. The author emphasises his model of an ideal trinity of magic, religion and science, which is useful, though sometimes obscures understanding. There is no universal description as to what constitutes “magic” rather than participation, so many diverse and unrelated practices fall under the same umbrella. At times it is unclear how descriptions of ancient settlements and cultures are strictly pertinent to the history of magic, though the thread of magic make this knowledge more interesting (making me wonder if magic is also being used as a sweetener to help teach archeology).
There are minor areas I would disagree with the authors POV, for example, conjuring tricks and illusions are a part of “high magic” as much as, say, demonology. I also believe the role of art, legends and literature are vital to understanding magic, but maybe the author fears that these vital constituents reduce magic to make believe.
We are not asked to be credulous to anything peddled as magic, but to explore the limits of our understanding. The author identifies the apparent disenchantment of the world (as exemplified by science) with our current ecological crisis. While I accept the argument, it does not necessarily follow that greater magical awareness will cure such ills. Indeed magical awareness also gives license to violence and exploitation, as shown by the the Aztecs and others. Similarly combat and malefic magic are under represented as they somewhat go against the books message that magic is beneficial. While examples of irrational superstition are given, the psychology of superstition is not explored.
While not the first authority to present magic as useful, it still felt novel to read a reliable history that does not ridicule its subject.
- Paul NelsonReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars A book that made me wonder deeply.
I enjoyed this book hugely, and was amazed both by the author's erudition and by the easy and compelling way he tells the story. And what a story! I found my imagination opened to the most ancient human activities as revealed by archaeology, tens of thousands of years before anything was written down and long before the emergence of formal religion, let alone science.
The author's belief that magic must be regarded as a vital human creative habit, alongside religion and science (and having porous boundaries with both those activities) is surely brilliantly proven through the descriptions he gives, from the deepest antiquity right up to our own time. I really appreciated the author's "tone" too, respectful, compassionate and non-dogmatic. My only, and very slight, regret is that inevitably there is little about one of the purest forms of everyday magic, namely music.
This is a book to make anybody wonder deeply. It certainly had that effect on me
- Michael J. HoustonReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2021
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book, if as much about anthropology and archaeology as magic.
The book explores magical practices in different parts of the world going back to the last Ice Age. My main criticism of the book would be the author's excessive relativism when it comes to comparisons between magical practices and modern science, which he is keen to present as having commensurate logical and rational validity. Still a worthwhile read with lots of interesting information.