Maybe that is the eventual solution of many liberal intellectuals as well certainly many liberal intellectuals in the West have taken the neo-conservative turn in despair at the masses' inability to be 'rational' but it seems a price too high in terms of liberty for the majority. An alternative may be to permit a degree of healthy irrationalism within a culture based on communication and general welfare where grimoires as symptom have no cause to be used for fraud or criminality because their function has changed. Under new conditions, they can be used, as they increasingly are being used in the modern West, for fun and for spiritual growth rather than for the assertion of power by the powerless over circumstance and the even less powerful.
Davies makes one very profound point - perhaps his only attempt at deep analysis in a largely narrative history. It is quite simply that most of us in the West no longer need magic in our lives. Economic development, mass education and technology provide our magic because magic is nothing more nor less than a means of empowerment.
If we see magic re-emerging today albeit mostly in the spiritual and social sphere , it is because we need it again. The new religions are actively transforming persons and cultures where old systems have failed and this process is likely to accelerate under the influence of the internet. As Davies suggests, magic and grimoires are unlikely to disappear from our culture very soon.
Finally, let me add that the illustrations of various texts, scattered throughout the book, are extensive and well placed. Oxford have done a fine editorial job and there are copious and detailed footnotes and signs to further reading. The book is also very broad-based with information on all the main Western and Northern European markets and on North America and the European colonies.
There will be gaps but a book that covers Switzerland, Denmark, Iceland and Norway as well as the different Caribbean Islands cannot be called parochial. View all 4 comments. Jun 13, Steve Cran rated it it was amazing. Three things hit you in the head upon reading this book all the way through. Owen Davies knows his stuff. This book is well researched as are all his works from beginning to end.
By this I mean both time and book. You will learn a lot from any of his works. The second is that most grimoires are not in the least bit factual. They are penned by people but often times false histories are ascribed to them. Going further many are said to be written by people who did not even write them.
Some would c Three things hit you in the head upon reading this book all the way through. Some would call this embellishment but if it is all about spirituality where truth is paramount I would call it flat out lies. People who have used these grimoires have not had the results they were looking for. Despite that we get to number three Grimoires are evolving and still new ones are being written. The new ones can be dedicated to angels, fairies, pagan gods, devils and even fictional gods from popular novels.
Grimoires became famous for their use in the Middle Ages.
Review: Grimoires: A History of Magic Books by Owen Davies | Books | The Guardian
Could mean grammar in french it was oft time a collection of spells, working recipes and magical actions. Their beginning though is in the Middle East most particularly in Mesopatamian times. Books themselves were considered holy and special people called scribes wrote books in general. Scribes were a class unto themselves. It was rare that people could even read. AS a result books themselves regardless of subject matter were considered magical. This continued through out Greek and Roman times and finally reached Europe after the Crusades when Templars came into contact with Middle Eastern culture and spirituality.
Originally Romans thought that magic came to EUrope from a tribe of magician called the "Magi" whoo hailed from Persia.. After Templar exposure European magic was exposed to Arabic works like the piciatrix, astrology and the amalgamation of Jewish Kabballah, Christian mysticism and Islamic Sufiism. Absorbed in these mystic currents was the previous wisdom of pagan cultures. In the beginning A grimoire was an expensive affair reserved for the upper classes.
They were leather bound written with special ink onn parchment. Just to have one gave an individual magic power. Books were thought to heal, ward against evil and give one special abilities. This grimoire had to be written buy a scribe or a magician.
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As the printing press came about and grimoires were printed on paper this gave more people access to them. It also robbed them of their power. Before only monasteries and popes and university libraries had grimoiis bu now eevery one had them. This disturbed the catholic church and the protestants but for different reason. They would filter out into Europe and other area.
Most people used them for treasure hunting. The book discusses how they got to AMerrica and the new world and the impact they had the magical traditions of the new world. This infueeenced Penssykvania pow wow magic and Hoodoo and Voodoo tradition. It is said that Joseph Smith founded mormonism after using a grimoire to contact an angel. Grimoires and magic would later go through more changes as groups like the Golden Dawn would use them not as a basis for results based magic but rather for spiritual developement. Grimoiures would also be subjected to mass production much like pulp fiction.
This lowered their value even more but made them more available. Edging into modern times we have works of fiction making use of fictional grimoires. The most noted would be trhe Necornomican based on HP Lovescrafts works. Satanist Anton LaVey came up with his own but he was more honest then the most. Owen Davies gives you the inside scoop on all of it. Feb 24, Katharine Kerr rated it liked it. This book is an unfortunate victim of its publisher. The content itself is fascinating, and were I rating it on that basis alone, I would have given it 4 stars.
But the production values are terrible. Apparently Oxford University Press decided that copy editors cost too much.
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The text reads like a second draft -- mostly comprehensible, but filled with small errors that together add up to a big problem. Spelling errors, poor punctuation, sloppy paragraphing -- they have no place in a scholarly wor This book is an unfortunate victim of its publisher. Spelling errors, poor punctuation, sloppy paragraphing -- they have no place in a scholarly work like this. They are also not the author's fault but the editor's, or perhaps the lack of an editor is more like it.
There are places in the text where sentences repeat, maybe not word for word, but close enough to distract the reader. Some of the paragraphs also seem to be out of order. The binding is badly done, too, for a hardback. The pages on either side of the section of plates buckle.
I will say a thank you, however, for those plates. They are printed on the proper glossy paper and are thus legible. Too many books these days have prints on the same cheap paper as the text, which makes them illegible. View all 7 comments. Nov 06, Honey rated it it was amazing. The only downside of this book was that it inspired me to buy a big pile of grimoire reprints that are not remotely as fascinating as their history.
Tremendously entertaining and fascinating for this reader, who has always gotten a kick out of the idea of secret mystic tomes. Apr 23, Sienna rated it liked it Shelves: This was a fascinating but frustrating read. I appreciate the impressive breadth of the topic but feel that much of the depth was selected rather arbitrarily to titillate or hint at just how far the author's knowledge-net reaches: Davies has previously written on popular magic and cunning-folk, so that may explain the periodic glossing of content, and his chapter notes are pretty generous if you're looking for This was a fascinating but frustrating read.
Davies has previously written on popular magic and cunning-folk, so that may explain the periodic glossing of content, and his chapter notes are pretty generous if you're looking for more details. I also recognize the difficulty of dealing with a subject that's constantly in flux, particularly pre-print when a scribe's opinions and experiences often shaped the contents of the manuscript he re produced — what a challenge for editors! My primary concern is that I couldn't help quibbling with the points Davies made on subjects I do know pretty well, especially when it comes to the variety of ways that early modern women and medical practitioners engaged with the magical world.
If there are worrying gaps in the familiar information, how do I know the same is not true of the unfamiliar? I'll give him the benefit of the doubt — an approach the copy editor s obviously also decided to take, based on the inconsistent spelling, capitalization, abbreviation, comma and apostrophe usage — but doubt I'll be citing this in any papers.
When defining what constitutes a "grimoire," Davies focuses on conjuring and talismans. He happily includes the diabolic but not the divinatory, discussing Paracelsus but dismissing or omitting the "usual" cures that reflect the spread of his beliefs and methods occult sympathy and chemically derived ingredients, for instance. Spells are accepted but seem to be to be difficult to differentiate from magical remedies. He hints at alchemy but fails to delve into what he means by the term. These are just minor points, but a bit more exposition might have helped to clarify why Davies emphasizes certain aspects of magic but breezes over others — worthy of note, I think, because many of the works characterized as grimoires the Grand and Petit Alberts, Key of Solomon, books attributed to Agrippa, etc.
Then again, I'm very interested in both alchemy and the spread of magical knowledge to non-magical realms, so these worries probably better reflect my desires as a reader than the book's shortcomings. As another reviewer has already noted, Davies delivers on his promise: There's a little something for everyone who might be tempted to pick up a copy of Grimoires , and where depth has been sacrificed at least we've got a decent road map for further reading.
And there's plenty of good stuff in the pages of the main text: The one place in Europe where grimoires did feature prominently in the witch trials was Iceland. Around trials are known to have occurred in this former Danish territory, and nearly a third of them involved grimoires, written spells, or runes and symbols derived from them. Those fortunate enough not to be executed were flogged while the pages of their magic manuscripts were burned under their noses. As surviving examples from the period show, the grimoires being used in this northern outpost of European culture consisted of a very distinctive blend of Continental magic, with borrowings from Solomonic texts and the like, and the Nordic runic tradition.
This is extraordinary, considering that in Denmark and Norway, and in Iceland's southern neighbour, Scotland, the vast majority were female. One explanation for this emerges from a comparison with Finland where the majority of accused were also men, in contrast with trials in the homeland of its Swedish rulers. Maybe the Norwegian settlers who came to Iceland from the late ninth century onwards brought with them strong elements of the male shamanic cultures of the Saami, which continued to shape the magical tradition of Finland and northern Scandinavia into the early modern period.
The shaman connection may have some mileage, but Iceland's magic was based much more on literary magic than that of the 'shamanistic', spirit-inspired traditions of Finland. Those also taken with the latter point might be interested in Emma Wilby's Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits , which connects English popular magic and shamanistic traditions. Threaded throughout is the really satisfying theme that although so much magic is rooted in falsehood and myth-making, those foundational lies somehow matter very little to anyone drawn to the subject.
By the time we learn enough to be disappointed, we're hooked. Give credit for consistency: He's done a comprehensive job of tracking down the important titles, outlining details of their production and consumption, and tracing the impulse to create books of magic from t Give credit for consistency: He's done a comprehensive job of tracking down the important titles, outlining details of their production and consumption, and tracing the impulse to create books of magic from the ancient world to the early-twentieth-century pulps.
But far too often the book confines itself to dry recitation, with precious little analysis on offer to enliven the proceedings or put the mass of facts in context. I can understand the push to make this kind of a presentation; working in a field with a lurid reputation, I'm sure there's pressure to be as high-minded and serious as possible, in a Caesar's-wifely way. One wants to stand out from the variety of breathless, brainless exposes, after all. And yet, that doesn't the book shouldn't be fun to read, does it?
There are some bright spots, but most of these are adverted to rather than fully explored.
For example, Davies' evidence shows a strong modern trend of First World-produced books and pamphlets being very influential in reshaping Third World systems of magical belief and practice. There are all sorts of theories one could come up with for why this might be, and the implications are intriguing -- but after have conveyed the bare existence of the trend, Davies leaves its depths unplumbed. Similarly, the early sections of the book, dealing with ancient and medieval practice, are among the most interesting, but they're relatively short and lightweight. Surely this is mostly down to the comparative lack of pre-print sources, but given how large the period looms in the later imagination of the supernatural, it's worth a more detailed look.
Ultimately the book's probably a positive contribution to the sum of human knowledge -- and I don't mean too much to damn with faint praise, those with a scholarly interest in the topic will definitely get some value out of it -- but the lay reader will probably want to track down something a bit less abstemious. Nov 02, Mark rated it really liked it Shelves: Do you believe in magic? Angels, demons and the like? Historic superstition has been replaced by scientific knowledge, peer review and scepticism. Throughout human history though people have believed in these things, as much as we now believe in the theory of gravity and ever since someone first dreamt of magic there have been ways of committing such things to paper and its forebears; these manuscripts, texts, scrolls and books became known as Grimoires.
D Do you believe in magic? Diabolic guidebooks for the curious and the desperate containing an understanding on some level of the occult. Owen Davies is a Wiccan historian of witchcraft and the occult and this history of magic books is his latest book. He takes us from the pre-Christian period through to present day cultural homages to the occult; Buffy, Charmed and so on. We begin in the Biblical period with the story of Moses receiving the ten commandments and are instructed to recall that the books of the Jewish bible were selected from many writings, and those alternative gospels have not been wholly supressed; indeed they are the base of many magical traditions even today.
The sixth and seventh books of Moses appear throughout modern human history as Grimoires and an eighth book of Moses was reported to have been discovered in the 4th century BCE. The pre-modern period of the book was, for me, the most interesting element. Hearing how the Magi, a Persian tribe were thought by the Romans to be the first practitioners of magic through their Zoroastrian heritage and the theory that Zoroaster was really Ham, the son of Noah from whom all people of the middle east descended.
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There is a huge social history in magic which the author sadly glosses over somewhat and we see that people have always kept such texts and authorities have always feared them. The author takes us via Islamic magical practices in Moorish Spain, Toledo specifically through the European continent at the time of the printing press which democratised grimoire ownership and across the world to the Caribbean, Latin America and United States.
More information on the Arabic world and the far east where magical traditions still thrive now would have been a welcome addition but it is clear to see where the author sees his specialties. Far better to have a good history of some areas than a poor history of them all. There are a plethora of texts mentioned, many of which I discover have been digitised, names of magicians in each period, many of whom were conmen as is to be expected and some terrific anecdotal stories of grimoire use and misuse. I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and there is an extensive list of references and bibliography for the reader who wishes to delve further in to this world beneath worlds.
Owen Davies is a dispassionate commentator in an area which all too often can attract cranks and fools and he tells this history with nuance and distance that is to be respected. Oct 08, Jeremy Monkres rated it really liked it. I really wish I could give this 3. The subject matter is really interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed half - two-thirds of the book. The problem is the beginning was the part that was less enjoyable. This is no fault of the author, or less fault anyway, and more to do with the nature of the book.
The author is telling the history of magic books more or less chronologically, so in dealing with antiquity and medieval matters, the lack of detailed reliable records to draw upon results in dri I really wish I could give this 3. The author is telling the history of magic books more or less chronologically, so in dealing with antiquity and medieval matters, the lack of detailed reliable records to draw upon results in drier, less engaging material that kind of reads like a text book. After the reader reaches the th centuries, it becomes an easier read. But without the foundation of texts found in earlier centuries, the events of these time periods forward would not be as appreciated.
Grimoires: A History of Magic Books
If you have interest in the subject matter, I would definitely say to give it a read. Just be prepared for a bit of a slog for the first pages or so. Nov 22, Scott Ferry rated it really liked it. This is an extremely informative and well researched book on the history of Grimoires from late Roman times to the 20th century. There was alot of information in the book that enlightened my understanding of ancient magical books as well as understanding of how books like this found their ways into many cultures across the globe and in some cases actually meshed with or restructered folk beliefs ie.
One thing the author brings to light over and over is how these books w This is an extremely informative and well researched book on the history of Grimoires from late Roman times to the 20th century. One thing the author brings to light over and over is how these books were diseminated. I think the authors strong points are in the research of medieval history on the subject and also up to the 19th century.
The 20th century research is lacking in places. All in all the book offers alot of good jump points for further research and investigation. Of a good global breadth. Compelling historical case studies.
Refreshingly well referenced with "Further Reading" list. If I could have given more than five stars I would have. Jul 03, Edward Brock rated it really liked it. A fascinating and thorough study of Grimoires. Sep 23, Corbin rated it it was amazing. A top-notch primer on an anthropological approach to the study of magic and its history through artifacts like grimoires.
Davies writes in a fluid style that makes this book a riveting read from start to finish. Since this book is written with a lay reader in mind, some topics aren't explored as much as one might hope this doesn't hinder the book, but it is worth pointing out for anyone interested in studying folkloric aspects of magic , but the book does have a detailed Further Reading section A top-notch primer on an anthropological approach to the study of magic and its history through artifacts like grimoires.
Since this book is written with a lay reader in mind, some topics aren't explored as much as one might hope this doesn't hinder the book, but it is worth pointing out for anyone interested in studying folkloric aspects of magic , but the book does have a detailed Further Reading section that lists other books that would be useful for anyone studying the history of magic with possible primary sources some titles listed included anthologies of Greco-Roman and Coptic sources.
What I appreciated most about this book was how it traced the history of the print revolution and the first major attempts at censorship, since printers were often banned from producing print grimoires in the early modern period. This is supplemented by citations from a variety of sources that paint a picture of the intense clampdown on print grimoires in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, which made the chapter appropriately titled "The War on Magic" all the more enjoyable to read.
If you want a good book for getting into studying the cultural history of magic, Grimoires is a solid choice. Nov 03, Thomas rated it liked it. Jun 15, Edric Unsane rated it it was amazing Shelves: Detailed and thoroughly researched, this is a must have for any interested in the history of Grimoires. Jan 13, Brian rated it really liked it. In this book, Davies presents a comprehensive historical overview of books of practical magic, and how they have interacted with the broader cultures in which they are produced.
Such beliefs in extra-biblical magic are part of a tradition stretching back at least to the fourth century. The characterisation of Moses as a great magician claimed that only the first five books of divine teaching made it into the Bible; other secret texts circulated as grimoires - and still do. There was no shortage of court cases in the first years of the 20th century in the US citing the maleficent use of the seventh book of Moses for removing unwanted spouses and former friends in the so-called "hex murders". There were warnings also to the user: Believers were moved to terror by the thought of the even more esoteric eighth and ninth books of Moses, with presumably no end to the potential horror of numerical progression.
The democratisation of high magic in the Renaissance meant suddenly everyone was at it, and the demand grew for books giving the runic farting spell; the use of candles made from the fat of a hanged man; and practical manuals for causing rain, seducing women or for making enemies mute with "a weezle's tongue, dried and worn in the shoe". Criminal records show how the widespread use of magic was exposed in the plot to assassinate Louis XIV by a cabal of sorcerers who were purveyors of poison to the palace as well as of cosmetics, breast enlargers and the sanctimoniously named "angel makers", which were abortifacients.
Believers were highly resistant to challenge. When a French government official defiantly laid his hand on a book, whose mere touch was supposed to conjure the devil, the non-appearance of Lucifer was considered evidence of the official's skill as a secret magician. Sometimes the seekers were tricked: Benjamin Franklin's spoof astrological guide Poor Richard's Almanack was circulated as the genuine esoteric article, but in fact gave a rationalist message within the binding of a grimoire.
Paradoxically, as capitalism triumphed and the world became more materialistic, esoteric knowledge flourished in the occult revival.