Magick: Decoding the visual culture of spells, illusions and psychic powers

Combining powerful imagery of artworks and ritual objects with insightful analysis and expertly written text, Magick tells the visual story of the magical arts, from personal and community-based folk magic to ceremonial magic, illusionists and psychics.

Since the Ice Age, humans have sought to bend reality with magic. Powerful wands, enchanted talismans, transformative spells and potent herbs have been used to conjure everything people desire: love, wealth, health, protection and knowledge of the future. Join historian of magic, Thomas Waters, as he presents and demystifies an astonishing array of magical artefacts and occult acts. Understand the symbolism of a spirit-summoning magic circle; discover how to harness the protective power of amulets; scrutinize psychic tools and techniques; and explore the methods of performance magicians, including how they have been used by the CIA.

The magical beliefs and traditions explored are illustrated with spellbinding images of elaborate grimoires, spirit beings and esoteric diagrams together with select magical artefacts, such as amulets, crystals and magic mirrors. Many are examined in close-up detail and their symbolism decoded. Key magicians, rituals and enchanted landscapes are also profiled.

Readers will discover how personal magic was practised in pre-industrial Europe and what to expect from a consultation with a cunning-woman. They will learn the techniques and beliefs of mesmerism, psychic mediumship and other alternative magical traditions that have emerged in the modern period. This wide-ranging and accessible book reveals how magic has evolved from ancient times, through the ages of science and technology, to the present-day era of spiritual wellbeing trends and magical products that can be ordered on next-day delivery.

About the Author

Dr Thomas Waters teaches history at Imperial College London and is the author of Cursed Britain: A History of Witchcraft and Black Magic in Modern Times (2019). He studied at Leeds and Oxford, and has been researching and teaching about the history of magic for more than twenty years in universities and the wider community.