Wizards: A History

by P.G. Maxwell-Stuart

From Simon Magus to Merlin, Faust to Cornelius Agrippa, the Comte de Saint Germain to Aleister Crowley, the magician has been both fêted and feared. An awesome figure in real life and in literature, he has retained his hold on the Western imagination in the teeth of scientific advance. P.G. Maxwell–Stuart’s history of the wizard from ancient times to the present shows just how extraordinary a character the wizard has proved to be—not merely a conjuring trickster or malicious egotist in league with Satan (though there have been plenty of both), but also a deeply religious person intent on using magic the better to understand the mind of God.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Occult

264 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Peter G. Maxwell-Stuart is a Research Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Aberdeen and an Honorary Lecturer in the Department of History in the University of St. Andrews.

Source: Macmillan

Reviews

[Äsruþr Cyneaþsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting study by Maxwell-Stuart, although lacking the depth of his other works into witchcraft and the witch-hunts. The approach is as scholarly as always and he calls upon a wide array of resources. The scope of the work is perhaps too broad however and the final impression is that MS lacked a focus. The result is one which touches only fleetingly upon some infamouse wizards and never delves deeper.

[Danyelle La Pookette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was well researched, and easy to read. I enjoyed learning more details about how wizards have been viewed through the ages.