San Antonio College Library

"The Varieties of Magical Experience: Indigenous, Medieval, and Modern Magic provides a comprehensive volume that examines magic in all its aspects. Through detailed case studies, verbatim accounts of personal experiences, and first-hand experience from the authors' own active participation in many alternative religious rituals and ceremonies, this unique book reveals how magic can be a universal phenomenon that crosses cultural, historical, and spatial...

The legendary magician and illusionist Harry Houdini turns a critical eye to the astonishing claims of those in his own profession. Using personal research and observations, Houdini reveals the cunning techniques employed by fire-eaters, sword swallowers, and other masters of deception to mystify and amaze audiences around the world. This classic skeptical work explores and exposes the methods of such "wonders" as "The Incombustible Spaniard," "Defiers...

All the known theories and incidents of witchcraft in Western Europe from the fifth to the fifteenth century are brilliantly set forth in this engaging and comprehensive history. Building on a foundation of newly discovered primary sources and recent secondary interpretations, Professor Russell first establishes the facts and then explains the phenomenon of witchcraft in terms of its social and religious environment, particularly in relation to medieval...

Takes you inside the world of magic: from the kings of magic, the Blackstones, to the supreme innovators, the Maskelynes, from the legendary performers known as the Royal Dynasty to the women pioneers of today. Watch the sleight-of-hand artistry of Dai Vernon and the mind-bending feats of the mentalists.

A six-part examination of the culture and history of magic. Explores the evolution of magic from the automata of Robert-Houdin to the elaborate illusions of Penn and Teller. Includes the story of the Hermann brothers; a profile of Harry Houdini's life and work and the impact he had upon succeeding magicians; studies of bizarre magicians and sideshow performers ; a look at dangerous illusions, such as the bullet catching trick, that have claimed the...

This comprehensive anthology examines contemporary neo-paganism ranging from goddess theology to historical-critical essays. Many of the contributors are academically trained neo-pagans, and the resulting volume is a benchmark study of a significant movement that promises to reshape the religious landscape of the next century.

In the waning years of the Roman Empire, Jews, Christians, and pagans alike used rituals to bridge the gap between the human and the divine. Depending on one' s point of view, however, such rituals could be labeled negatively as "magic" or positively as "theurgy." This has led to numerous problems of interpretation, including marginalizing certain ritual practices as magic or occult while privileging others as genuine or orthodox. In Icons of Power,...

Although his accomplishments were substantial--he became a trusted confidante to Queen Elizabeth I, inspired the formation of the British Empire, plotted voyages to the New World--John Dee's story has been largely lost to history. Beyond the political sphere his intellectual pursuits ranged form the scientific to the occult. His mathematics anticipated Isaac Newton by nearly a century, while his map making and navigation were critical to exploration....