Histoire de la Magie

First published in 1860, this book chronicles the idea of magic from its ancient origins to the nineteenth century.

Continuing on from his successful Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie, in this book Éliphas Lévi traces magic from its ancient origins to the latest developments of the nineteenth century, stressing the importance of magic as a valid science and a compromise between the rational and the mystical.First published in 1860, Éliphas Lévi's history of magic follows in the wake of his enormously successful Dogme et Ritual de la Haute Magie, which first appeared in 1854. In this book, the French occultist and alleged magician offers a thoroughly comprehensive survey of the idea of 'magic' in Western history, from its origins in Indian, Greek, cabalistic and hermetic traditions to the latest developments in nineteenth-century occult philosophy, as well as his own private recollections of his experience with magic. Lévi is adamant in his treatment of magic as a serious science and one compatible with Christianity, encouraging his readers to see magic as the reconciliation point between faith and reason, science and belief, authority and liberty. Extending to almost six hundred pages and with numerous illustrations, this book should appeal to those interested in the nineteenth-century obsession with mysticism and the occult.