Magie, alchimie et sorcellerie: Le grand livre des sciences occultes

by Liz Williams

A beautifully presented directory of occult history and artefacts and an essential guide for anyone interested in the occult.

Explore the mysterious and fascinating world of the occult from ancient Egypt to London’s Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the 19th century with this visual cabinet of curiosities.

Compendium of the Occult is divided into seven main sections: Ancient Origins, Divination, Ritual and Rites, Charms and Talismans, Curses and Hexes, Secret Societies and Sites of Significance. Each is packed with original manuscripts, sacred symbols and ritual objects to explore. Expert commentary on eclectic topics, ranging from Ancient Egyptian curses to the history of demonology, is further illuminated by excerpts from historical texts and a wide range of beautiful archive imagery.

Unearth the meaning of the world ‘occult’ and the differences between occultism and magic; discover arcane rituals and the belief systems behind them; and unlock the mysteries of ancient customs, sacred sites and secret societies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Occult, Witchcraft, History, Art

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2025

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Liz Williams is a British science fiction writer. Her first novel, The Ghost Sister was published in 2001. Both this novel and her next, Empire of Bones (2002) were nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award.[1] She is also the author of the Inspector Chen series.

She is the daughter of a stage magician and a Gothic novelist. She holds a PhD in Philosophy of Science from Cambridge. She has had short stories published in Asimov's, Interzone, The Third Alternative and Visionary Tongue. From the mid-nineties until 2000, she lived and worked in Kazakhstan.[2] Her experiences there are reflected in her 2003 novel Nine Layers of Sky. Her novels have been published in the US and the UK, while her third novel The Poison Master (2003) has been translated into Dutch.

Series:
* Detective Inspector Chen
* Darkland

Reviews

[Evita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visually pleasing and carefully made book that contains the very basis of the occult. Although it is laconic (and in some places I would even call its presented information as miniscule) it's a good starting point and a source for more specialised literature.

[Dovilė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maža glausta enciklopedija, paveikslėliai aišku smagiausia dalis.

[Elaina Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aesthetic and informative

[Daniel Gongaga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very very basic, very name and date heavy and lacking a lot of information about the things they bring up.
For example: they discuss voodoo dolls in one page, but do not describe how they were used in African or Louisiana voodoo/hoodoo practises. Just they exist, and are made of various materials.
I'd recommend it if you wanted to find topics that interest you, but for the price you're better off with Google.

[Luce McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book full of everything I love to learn about. It is so incredibly detailed and exciting to read. It’s like walking through a museum exhibit of all the stuff too weird and magical to be taught of in schools!

[Eliza K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of the occult. Would make a good coffee table book! My one critique is for a bit of fade advertising - this is a compendium specifically of the *Western* occult and is not encompassing of all geographical and cultural histories.

[Cody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Miniscule text. Unreadable font.

[Brea Duymich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful format. A great point of reference for anyone looking for basic research on the occult throughout known history. I will definitely be adding this to my collection.

[Bogus Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une jolie introduction aux éléments de l'occultisme par les objets, courants et pratiques. Très succinct et non exhaustif mais les photos et illustrations sont de qualité.

[Lila March · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha encantado la edición, llena de fotos, explicaciones, temáticas diversas. Quizá me habría gustado que profundizará un poquito más en general y sobre todo con las definiciones concretas de ciertos conceptos. Pero es hermoso, y lo recomiendo totalmente!

[Kelly-Ann McFern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un excellent ouvrage qui résume bien l'histoire des arts occultes. On y retrouve les méthodes de divination, les personnages ayant marqué cet univers, les lieux les plus populaires en lien avec la magie ainsi que de sublimes images provenant de plusieurs sources.

Prendre note que ce livre offre un survol et un aperçu. Ce n'est pas un documentaire qui offre tant de précisions, donc ceux qui sont moins habitués avec le sujet pourraient se poser de nombreuses questions. Heureusement, le livre offre un glossaire à la fin et une liste de ressource à consulter pour approfondir ses connaissances.

[Jo ✨☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok mais bon, pas vraiment ce à quoi je m'attendais