Review by Choice Review
The long-neglected topic of occultism is now in vogue, as countless monographs, articles, and dissertations published in the last 25 years demonstrate. What has been missing, however, is a general synthesis of this growing corpus, broad and accessible enough to assign in introductory courses. Burton (history, Univ. of North Alabama) and Grandy (philosophy, Brigham Young Univ.) have filled this gap admirably, providing an overview of various forms of magic, heresy, and pseudoscience from ancient Egypt to the contemporary West and written in an engaging tone that is broadly sympathetic, if ultimately noncommittal, regarding the beliefs and practices they study. While any book this broad in scope will have regrettable omissions (for example, the modern section focuses mainly on the Anglo-American world to the exclusion of Continental Europe, except for a contentious section on Nazism and the occult), this study makes the case for considering magic and the occult as integral components of the Western tradition. The book also features 50 well-selected illustrations sure to catch the attention of readers. While there is little presented here that is new to specialists (most footnotes are to secondary sources), this reviewer knows of no better introduction to this topic. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. D. A. Harvey New College of Florida
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
In the past, humankind looked to the occult for answers to the world's mysteries, whereas today we usually look to science. But even in a world full of science, people embrace the New Age movement, UFOs, and alien abductions. Burton (history & political science, Univ. of North Alabama) and Grandy (philosophy, Brigham Young Univ.) here look at the impact of the occult throughout history and consider its possible impact on our future. They see the occult as on par with Greek rationalism and Judeo-Christianity in shaping our beliefs, both past and present, from ancient Egypt onward. The authors explore the entire world of magic, including numerology, the cabala, alchemy, astrology, demons, witches, New Age, ESP, Gnosticism, and more. They look beyond our scientific age to see a future where the occult will play a part in bringing about a more holistic universe. An altogether fascinating work, this book takes a serious and intriguing look at the secret world of the past and the human search for the infinite. Recommended for all academic and most public libraries.-Mary E. Jones, Los Angeles P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
