Magicians Wizards Sorcerers Author:Daniel Cohen ISBN 0397314558, a paperback. — From the dawn of civilization, even before religion, there was magic. And there were those who spent their lives in a quest for the secrets of magical knowledge. These were the real magicians. — Through the lives of many of the most famous and notorious magicians, wizards, & sorcerers in history, this book reveal... more »s a world of mysterious rituals, strance secrets, bizarre practices, & a firm belief in the supernatural. There was Simon Magus, whose powerful magical influence threatened early Christianity; John Dee, wizard-in-chief to Queen Elizabeth I; Agrippa, who practiced his art openly while great numbers of witches were being burned by the Inquisition; Franz Mesmer, who performed cures with magnets; & the diabolical black magician, Aleister Crowley, who enjoyed shocking the public.
The deeds of these colorful figures conjure up a mystical world in which illusion and reality are very often indistinguishable.« less