A Treasury of Witchcraft

When I first obtained this book, I initially added it to the to-sell pile based on the tweet-length entries and my quick assessment of it as a dated, shallow and probably uninteresting pop occult encyclopedia. Then, I decided to look a little closer and it was drawn in from the initial epigram from "Song: Go and catch a falling star" by John Donne. Then, what I thought was an unsorted collection of entries came to be seen as topically related quotes and facts drawns from varied cultures and times, if all goetic. (There is a rich lexicon of witchy words here.) Also, there are many interesting, full-page B&W illustrations; woodcuts, Goya, etc. One thing that really spoke to me is the translations of ancient tablets from Assyria, Egypt, show more etc. where average people called out for magical assistance. Indeed, isn't magic a desperate attempt to actualize human will in a misunderstood and cruel world? Witches chants and incantations of nonsense alliteration and recipes for love philtres, etc. This can be dipped into anywhere and is a fascinating collection of arcane curiosa. Despite great breadth, the focus is on 14th - 16th Century Europe and magick varieties through the lens of Christianity. show less

A book from my childhood