The History of Magic

The History of Magic by Chris Gosden offers a unique history of the forgotten, oldest strand of human history, and its resurgence today.

Three great strands of practice and belief run through human history: science, religion, and magic. Over the last few centuries, magic—the idea that we have a connection with the universe and that the universe responds to us—has developed a bad reputation. However, as Professor Chris Gosden shows in this extraordinarily bold and unprecedented history, it has remained a part of human culture for millennia.

Gosden argues that magic preceded religion and science. From the curses and charms of ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish magic, to the shamanistic traditions of Eurasia, indigenous America, and Africa, through the alchemy of the Renaissance, to colonial dismissals of magic as backward, and finally to quantum physics today where magic and science converge, magic has endured. Drawing on his decades of research around the world, with incredible breadth and authority, this timely history of human thought across thousands of years showcases the essential role magic has played in shaping civilisation.