Magic and Superstition in Europe Audiobook By Michael D. Bailey cover art

Magic and Superstition in Europe

A Concise History from Antiquity to the Present

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Magic and Superstition in Europe

By: Michael D. Bailey
Narrated by: 5395 MEDIA LLC
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

The only comprehensive, single-volume survey of magic available, this compelling book traces the history of magic, witchcraft, and superstitious practices such as popular spells or charms from antiquity to the present day.

Focusing especially on Europe in the medieval and early modern eras, Michael Bailey also explores the ancient Near East, classical Greece and Rome, and the spread of magical systems, particularly modern witchcraft or Wicca, from Europe to the United States. He examines how magic and superstition have been defined in various historical eras and how these constructions have changed over time. He considers the ways in which specific categories of magic have been condemned, and how those identified as magicians or witches have been persecuted and prosecuted in various societies.

Although conceptions of magic have changed over time, the author shows how magic has almost always served as a boundary marker separating socially acceptable actions from illicit ones, and more generally the known and understood from the unknown and occult.

©2007 Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks Europe Magic Magic Studies Spirituality Witchcraft Magic Users Middle Ages

Listeners also enjoyed...
Magic Audiobook By Chris Gosden cover art
Magic By: Chris Gosden
A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult Audiobook By DK cover art
A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult By: DK
A Brief History of Witchcraft and the Occult Audiobook By Dominic Haynes cover art
A Brief History of Witchcraft and the Occult By: Dominic Haynes
Revolt Against the Modern World Audiobook By Julius Evola cover art
Revolt Against the Modern World By: Julius Evola
The Witch Audiobook By Ronald Hutton cover art
The Witch By: Ronald Hutton
Our Oriental Heritage Audiobook By Will Durant cover art
Our Oriental Heritage By: Will Durant
The Enlightenment Audiobook By Ritchie Robertson cover art
The Enlightenment By: Ritchie Robertson
Evil in Modern Thought Audiobook By Susan Neiman cover art
Evil in Modern Thought By: Susan Neiman
Bloodlands Audiobook By Timothy Snyder cover art
Bloodlands By: Timothy Snyder
Introduction To Christianity (2nd Edition) Audiobook By Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI cover art
Introduction To Christianity (2nd Edition) By: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and others
The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean Audiobook By Kenneth R. Bartlett, The Great Courses cover art
The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, and others
The New Testament Audiobook By Bart D. Ehrman, The Great Courses cover art
The New Testament By: Bart D. Ehrman, and others
The Believing Brain Audiobook By Michael Shermer cover art
The Believing Brain By: Michael Shermer
Jesus of Nazareth Audiobook By Pope Benedict XVI cover art
Jesus of Nazareth By: Pope Benedict XVI
Born in Blackness Audiobook By Howard W. French cover art
Born in Blackness By: Howard W. French
Drawing Down the Moon Audiobook By Margot Adler cover art
Drawing Down the Moon By: Margot Adler
Time of the Magicians Audiobook By Wolfram Eilenberger, Shaun Whiteside cover art
Time of the Magicians By: Wolfram Eilenberger, and others
A Short History of Ethics Audiobook By Alasdair MacIntyre cover art
A Short History of Ethics By: Alasdair MacIntyre
How Jesus Became God Audiobook By Bart D. Ehrman cover art
How Jesus Became God By: Bart D. Ehrman
The Long War Against God Audiobook By Henry M. Morris cover art
The Long War Against God By: Henry M. Morris

Critic reviews

"A sweeping, broadly accessible account of magic, religion, and 'superstition' over the past two thousand years. This book deserves to be widely read." (H. C. Erik Midelfort, University of Virginia)
"Bailey's style of writing is captivating and the results of his archival research are impressive." (Svitlana P. Kukharenko, University of Alberta)
"An ambitious survey of the history of magic from the ancient world to the modern West… shows admirable command and understanding of a wide range of material." ( The Catholic Historical Review)
Most relevant  
The explanation in concise but complete. Very informative and not "spiritual" as discourses about magic can get from time to time. Very relevant for those interested in the history of science.

Extraordinary

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
moments of patriarchal superiority and derision for feminist theory, including a brief discussion of the feminazi (not joking) but all in all a decent synopsis of historical ideologies. a good reference guide to fund other reading material

decent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well read, researched, and footnoted for further research. Fair and accurate. Clear to follow and holds interest.

Great book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.