The feats of sorcerers and magicians, ceremonial magic, witches andpreparation for the sabbath, the coven and the magical flight, sacrifices to theDevil and the obscene kiss, the evocation of demons, books of magic, theomnipotent Clavicle of Solomon, magic circles and pentacles, the GreatConjuration, pacts with demons, selling one's soul, the personnel of Hell,possession and exorcism, the wonderful abilities of demons, necromancy, raisingthe dead, evoking spirits of the dead, the power of spells, philtres, dollmagick, curses, discovery of witches, the power of the Kabbalah, the rule of theplanets and astrology, prophecy, the Zodiac and the human body, analyzingcharacter by occult means, foretelling the future, the mystical tarot, magicwith sieve and shears, magic mirrors, scrying, the divining wand, clairvoyance,animal magnetism, talismans, the secret doctrine of the alchemists...these areamong the topics covered in this well-known survey of the traditional shadowsciences and occult disciplines.

Prepared by one of the foremost French historians of the occult sciences, itcontains an incredible wealth of material taken from ancient manuscripts, rareand prohibited books, seret documents, official reports, and the occulttradition of the centuries.  Careful and precise, though not unsympathetic,it is probably the finest survey of the occult arts in English.

An unusual feature of M. de Givry's book is its remarkable illustration. It contains more that 350 reproductions of manuscripts, prints, paintings,documents and other pictorial material, mostly unavailable elsewhere, that offermany insights even beyond the text.

Translated from French by J. Couttenay Locke.  Complete reproduction of1951 edition.  366 text illustrations, 10 plates. 416pp. Paperbound.