The Book of English Magic: Amazon.co.uk: Richard Heygate, Philip Carr-Gomm: Books

Review

'A user-friendly primer . . . a magical mystery tour, for readers who want to get a little deeper into magic, there are well informed suggestions'

(The Times )

'Witchcraft and magic have never been more popular, and England is its global epicentre . . . a fabulous array. Fun, best of all is the end'

(Daily Express )

'A new book celebrates the growing witchcraft, spells, potions and the spirit world'

(Daily Express )

'Darkly glittery package for this survey of mysterious England, the country with the richest history of magical lore and practice in the world'

(Bookseller )

'Should be a wizard read'

(Birmingham Post )

'A giddying tour of a hidden history and an occult present'

(Books Quarterly )

'A positive cornucopia of magic that's sure to cast a spell over you!'

(Lancashire Evening Post )

'Playful and serious, respectful and amused...this will remain the standard work for years to come'

(Sunday Telegraph )

'This book is never less than gripping...otherworld beckons. Stock up on mistletoe and woad'

(The Daily Mail )

'Sometimes we open a book and know straight away that it will become a classic in its field, and "The book of English Magic" is one of these.'

(The Inner Light Magazine )

'An astonishing and entertaining book'

(The Northern Echo )

"Large, cheerful, handsome book...the tone is unflaggingly open-minded"

(Times Literary Supplement )

"Bright and encouraging"

(The Magic Circular )

The reader of this book will immediately feel assured that Philip Carr-Gomm and Richard Heygate know what they are talking about. Yes, this book is encyclopaedic in scope and jam-packed with joyous information but it is also informed by lived experience. These men have walked in the woods of midsummer dreams! Stories of the wilder eccentricities of English magic are underpinned, too, by a coherent philosophy of life that is intriguingly close to the broader European tradition of Paracelsus, the Rosicrucians and Rudolf Steiner.

(Mark Booth )

'Treasure trove of magical lore'

(The Observer ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

'A user-friendly primer...a magical mystery tour, for readers who want to get a little deeper into magic, there are well informed suggestions'

(The Times )

'Witchcraft and magic have never been more popular, and England is its global epicentre...a fabulous array. Fun, best of all is the end'

(The Daily Express )

'A new book celebrates the growing witchcraft, spells, potions and the spirit world'

(The Daily Express )

'Darkly glittery package for this survey of mysterious England, the country with the richest history of magical lore and practice in the world'

(Bookseller )

'Should be a wizard read'

(Birmingham Post )

'A giddying tour of a hidden history and an occult present'

(Books Quarterly )

'A positive cornucopia of magic that's sure to cast a spell over you!'

(Lancashire Evening Post )

'An astonishing and entertaining book'

(Northern Echo )

'Well-read, tolerant, perceptive and reader-friendly'

(John Billingsley, Northern Earth )

' Large, cheerful, handsome book...the tone is unflaggingly open-minded '

(Times Literary Supplement )

'Bright and Encouraging'

(The Magic Circular )

'A treasure trove of magical lore'

(The Observer )

'The authors of this fascinating book aim to introduce readers to the secret history of English occult arts'

(Books Quarterly )

'Whatever you may think, it seems that there are more wizards practising than ever before. We meet some of them in this surprising book. And the authors suggest visiting the sites, such as Stonehenge and Mother Shipton's Yorkshire cave, which retain magical properties. Meanwhile it's a help to mug up a bit of astrology (and Druid lore) if you really want to be au fait'-

(Sunday Telegraph )

'A fascinating guide to the evolution of English magic. From magic wands to ley lines, each chapter introduces a different aspect of all things enchanting. Complete with interviews with magicians and suggestions for spells'

(Daily Express )

There are many rational reasons not to go beyond the first chapter. But if you don't you will never know how English witches- using a fridge, a doll, some string and (doubtless) a lot of nudity- tried to stop Saddam Hussein massacring the Kurds. You will not read an interview with a modern-day Welsh alchemist, or learn about an Elizabethan forebear who convinced his wife that, for the sake of his magic, she needed to become a swinger. Most of all you will miss out on the step-by-step guides: to dowsing, to creating your own philosopher's stone and to casting your own love spell ("think carefully about unintended consequences")'-

(The Times )

I cannot praise this book enough both for its content and its style... it is excellent value. Highly recommended and enjoyable - a book I shall keep close by my desk for reference

(GoodReads.com )

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64 of 69 people found the following review helpful

This book is such a treat! 17 Jun 2009

By LR Fredericks

Format:Hardcover

This book is such a treat! Contrary to the erroneous information on this page, it's already been published in hardcover, and well worth buying in that format since it's a book one will want to refer to forever. The writing is lucid and wonderfully easy to read, yet conveys an astonishing amount of information. Although I am very well-versed in the subject, practically every page contained things I didn't know, and while it is indeed a perfect book for the "intelligent novice" it's far more than that - it's a serious, in-depth survey of a massive topic. Philip Carr-Gomm wears his erudition lightly, but this is no light-weight study; co-author Richard Heygate vividly portrays the insights of the many contemporary magicians he interviewed.

Fact after fascinating fact, idea after intriguing idea, character after eccentric character, all described with intelligent appreciation and the occasional tongue in cheek. A generous sprinkling of delightful anecdotes - my favourite being a gentleman named Cyril Hoskins, who fell out of a tree while trying to photograph an owl and "while suffering concussion had given permission for a Tibetan lama, with the full name of Tuesday Lobsang Rampa, to inhabit his body." Bless! Only in England. Note, please, that it's an OWL - the bird of wisdom!

The book is also very well put together - nice paper, gorgeous cover, decorative section headings, lots of illustrations (Mr. Rampa is shown with an enigmatically smiling Siamese cat). Little "potted biographies" of notable figures are set into the text, so it's perfect to read in little snippets....but beware! I opened it with the idea of leafing through first, reading more thoroughly later...several hours passed.

It would have been a wonderful book even were it merely an historical account, but at each step the book does more - it invites the reader into the reality of magic in several ways. First are the many interviews with real people, who speak of their magical experience and work. These "open up" the book by providing windows into other lives; it is as though a druid and a shaman, an alchemist and a dowser came by for a cup of tea and sat talking at the kitchen table until late. And each of them is someone we'd be happy to have stay overnight, so we could resume our conversation in the morning.

Another way the book reaches out to us is the "interactive" section at the end of each chapter, which presents Things to Do, from ley-hunting to Renaissance astrology, alchemy to ESP. The suggestions include some that are ideal for the whole family, but also others suitable for considerably more advanced students. There is in each section as well a comprehensive resource guide, including both print and online sources and, most excellently, sources in fiction, for those who know that fiction is often truer than fact! The innocents among us are warned, in sections called "Traps for the Sorcerer's Apprentice" of the various delusions that await the unwary.

Books about magic tend to have been written - with a few exceptions - either by people who "believe in it" - tiresome in their credulity - or by academics who by definition don't - equally tiresome in their elaborate, futile attempts to explain the obviously non-material in materialist terminology. It's a real pleasure to encounter these authors' refreshingly balanced approach.

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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful

A Magical Masterpiece! 23 Jun 2009

By Mark T - Wizard

The Book of English Magic (review)

As someone who is both a `magician' and a `magicKian' this book is a profound gift - a magical masterpiece no less! There is often no middle ground between the `two magics.' The former is usually an attempt to imitate real magic, practiced (often) by sceptical folk who are well versed in psychology, linguistics subtleties and other means of `pulling the wool over peoples eyes.' The latter often takes no notice of some of the necessary balances and healthy scepticisms of the former. This book does! It is both mystical and psychological, supernatural and rational, heavenly and humble.

The two authors, who clearly (and wonderfully) represent different approaches, manage to serve up a delightfully well written, intellectually stimulating, un-put-down-able adventure into all things magical (from merry old England's perspective). No stone of Albion remains unturned. They lead us (readers) into magical encounters wonderful and weird, and not only academically but practically too - offering wonderful `what to do now' pointers and exercises into gaining our own magical experience.

This book clearly involved a tremendous amount of research which, I must say, is evident on every page, and not only in terms of scanning wizard's grimoires, diaries and biographies but face to face interviews with the modern day witches, shamans and alchemists.

Also for those who love a book to look like a book - well, you're in for a treat. When this arrived in the post I tore off the wrapping paper and, for a while, just sat there in awe. It is a marvelously fine volume which begs to be lovingly lifted off the book shelf - almost in slow motion. One needs to take time with this book, not just skim read. It demands a little preparation before indulging. Find an appropriate period where you won't be disturbed, make a large pot of coffee and draw near a side table, sit back in a comfy chair and prepare to be taken through Narnia's wardrobe into an enchanted world where anything is possible.

We need books like this - oh we so need them in our disenchanted modern world of instant everything - not least to remind us older ones that Narnia does in fact exist!

Go buy one now... you won't be disappointed.

Mark Townsend

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

Tantilising revelation of the history and practice of English magic 8 July 2009

By D. Nish

Most probably, no modern books have delved into the magic practice and history of England as deeply as this invaluable tome. Not only does it present as many historical facts as Cunning-Folk does, but also include sought-after interviews from the living embodiment of adept magicians in the country. Another distingushing feature which was so often missed out in many books is that the authors describe common self-delusions which initiates and even adepts tend to develop and they suggest counter-measures against them. The book also includes the Magical Map of England and London which would be very helpful for seekers in finding places of inspiration and training. What is disappointing is that I had already moved out of the country when this was published!