The History of Magic

The History of Magic: A Classic Account of Occultism and Necromancy
by Éliphas Lévi

First published in French, this work by Éliphas Lévi (1810-75) was translated into English by occult historian Arthur Waite in 1913. In this book, Lévi traces Western magic from its origins in the ancient world to the nineteenth-century occult revival. Lévi’s French edition is also reissued in this series. This classic text is an invaluable source book on the history and practice of magic and occultism. The contents include: Magic of the Magi, Magic in Ancient Greece, the Kabalah, Primitive Symbolism, Mysticism, Oracles, Magical Monuments, Magic and Christianity, Pagan Magic, Kabalistic Paintings and Sacred Emblems, Sorcerers, Magic and Freemasonry, the Illuminati, and more. Illustrated.

About the Author
Alphonse Louis Constant, better known by his pen name Eliphas Levi, was a master of the traditional Rosicrucian interpretation of the Kabbalah. He was born in France in 1810, and through the offices of the parish priest, was educated for the church at Saint Sulpice. He was later expelled from seminary for teaching doctrines contrary to those of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1824 Levi began studying the occult sciences, and wrote about magic and the Kabbalah for the next three decades. His other books include “Transcendental Magic”, “Mysteries of the Qabalah”, and “The Book of Splendours”.

Specifications
Artist/ Author:  Éliphas Lévi, Translated by A. E. Waite
Condition: Use, Good condition, minor scuffs around the edges, no marks or writing, pages yellowing due to age. Images actual book.
Format: Paperback
Publication date: First published in 1915, this Edition dated 1982, Vintage
Number of Pages: 384
ISBN: 9781906621032
Publisher: Rider and Company
Dimensions: H19.8cm x D13cm x D2.7cm, approximately