From time immemorial, man has felt himself to be confronted with evil supernatual beings, and his weapon against them has been the use of magical rites. As an artist, I am concerned with the aesthetic value of magic and its influence upon man's creative imagination.
-- Kurt Seligmann

The History of Magic and the Occult is a profusely illustrated survey of the magical ideas and operations in the civilized Western world.

This masterwork of occult history covers astrology, divination, physiognomy, fortune cards, the Sphinx, the philosophers' stone, witchcraft and black magic, the Cabala, the Tarot, transmutations, alchemy, omens, oracles, and vampires.

A magical world view, The History of Magic and the Occult spotlights the secret teachings of philosophers and seers like Abraham, Paracelsus, Nostradamus, Ikhnaton, Bacon, Dr. Faustus, Albertus Magnus, Agrippa, Cleopatra, Descartes, Dante, Erasmus, Saint Germain, and many other prophetic mystics.

In the tradition of The Golden Bough and The Morning of the Magicians, The History of Magic and the Occult is a classic primer and the definitive supernatural source guide.