Magic and Superstition in Europe: A Concise History from Antiquity to the Present » (1st Edition)

The only comprehensive, single-volume survey of magic available, this compelling book traces the history of magic and superstition in Europe from antiquity to the present. Focusing mainly on the medieval and early modern era, Michael Bailey also explores the ancient Near East, classical Greece and Rome, and the spread of magical systems_particularly modern witchcraft or Wicca_from Europe to the United States. He explains how magic was understood, constructed, and frequently condemned and how magical beliefs and practices have changed over time yet also remain vital even today.

Dan Harms - Library Journal

Magic, witchcraft, and superstition have inspired writers and readers for centuries. Much of the literature on these phenomena has been sensational or biased, but a growing body of quality scholarly work has quietly accumulated over the past decades. Bailey (history, Iowa State Univ., Ames; Historical Dictionary of Witchcraft) provides a breathtaking yet meticulous synthesis of scholarship covering two millennia, from antiquity to the present day. Though its focus is Europe, the book embraces the United States, classical Greece and Rome, and the Near East as well. It concentrates especially on how the concepts, beliefs, and practices of magic and witchcraft-and their practitioners-have transformed one another over this vast period. This work, which supersedes all previous works on the topic, includes few endnotes in the interest of readability, but the bibliography for each section will be of some assistance to those wishing to read further on particular topics. Recommended for all public and academic collections.

Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction     1
Roots in the Ancient World     9
The Rise of Christianity and Early Medieval Europe to the Year 1000     43
Varieties of Magic in the High and Late Middle Ages, 1000-1500     77
The Medieval Condemnation of Magic, 1000-1500     107
Witchcraft and Witch Hunting in the Early Modern Period, 1500-1800     141
From Renaissance to Enlightenment, 1450-1800     179
Magic in the Modern West from 1800     215
Sources and Suggestions for Further Reading     249
Index     263
About the Author     275