Magic : A History of Its Rites, Rituals and Mysteries

A great work of literature as well as a pioneering classic of occultism, this historical survey traces the roots and manifestations of magic through the ages. Author Eliphas Levi, a widely followed mystic of the 19th century and a master of the Kabbalah, offers clear and precise expositions of esoteric rites. This influential 1860 work covers topics that continue to intrigue modern readers, including subjects as seemingly disparate as the mathematical magic of Pythagoras, magical monuments, magic and Christianity, the devil, the Knights Templar, alchemy, the illuminati, hallucinations, and many others that are equally alluring. An essential resource for the library of every occultist, it appears here in its first English translation from the original French, with 19 illustrations by translator A. E. Waite.