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Behind the Crystal Ball: Magic, Science, and the Occult from Antiquity Through the New Age

1997; AIP Publishing; Volume: 50; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1063/1.881982

1945-0699

Anthony Aveni, E. C. Krupp,

Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies

There was a time when science and the occult happily coexisted under the same roof, one scarcely discernible from the other in method and practice. This is the story of how they parted company, and why one was relegated to the darker side of history while the other has come to bask in the limelight of mainstream belief. From astrology to divination, and alchemy to spoon-bending, thee book is an examination of magic and its scientific bases, and of magical phenomena. The personalities caught up in the intersection of superstition include Emmanuel Swedenborg, Madame Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley and Harry Houdini.