The Black Arts : A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-10 08:54:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Richard Cavendish
- ISBN：0399500359
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Reviews
Yulia Liao
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I never been i touch with such a book。 This book guides you to a black magic arts that has been practiced from the ancient times， the writer has a deep knowledge and read plenty of scriptures about the practice。 I had an overwhelming feeling while reading trough it， but it opened my eyes about what is， what were。 While this books tells you alot of magical practices you aren't aware of， but actually it educates you trough the information。 I never been i touch with such a book。 This book guides you to a black magic arts that has been practiced from the ancient times， the writer has a deep knowledge and read plenty of scriptures about the practice。 I had an overwhelming feeling while reading trough it， but it opened my eyes about what is， what were。 While this books tells you alot of magical practices you aren't aware of， but actually it educates you trough the information。 。。。more
Aaron
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This is really weird but cool book。 Surprisingly accurate info for most part。 Tho dated。 Interesting tho。 Like peering into the mind of a fascinated puritan who is writing against and about the occultists he secretly loves lol。
Curtis Bridges
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I was a skeptic when I bought this book and this book just came to me at the bookstore， I have to say that the anniversary edition Is pretty good and it had a lot of details inside the book and I’m a satanist by heart and now I use and read this book more often and I place this book on my altar now。 I highly recommended this book for being a great book with a lot of fact base fiction。
Mike F
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The book started off aimlessly with anecdotes of， then current interest in new age exploration。 The book lacked focus and a framework so I skimmed but with no success in discovering gems of interest。 I am not sure who can benefit from reading this book。 No illuminating stories or interesting features that whetted my appetite to learn more。
Beesauce
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A reference book that always sits nearby。 Such a good sociological perspective。
Tasha
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DISCLAIMER: this book has misinformation and is very harmful to marginalized groups in the spiritual spectrum。 Be careful。this book isnt what I thought it was going to be。 the reviews on amazon are so far from what this book is。 nothing witchcraft in this， I was doing research for my WIP and thought this will be a good book。 it was not， its honestly all Christianly/religious talk。 skip this book and look for something better please。
mysterygif
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neat and engaging history covering many occult avenues， moderately neutral in terms of moralism and amusingly sensationalist in parts。
Laura Schuiki
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Enjoyable to read， a lot of information。 The chapters sometimes felt too long and the structure wasn't always obvious， they could've been divided into smaller sections for better structure。 Enjoyable to read， a lot of information。 The chapters sometimes felt too long and the structure wasn't always obvious， they could've been divided into smaller sections for better structure。 。。。more
Mandy Dejonghe
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Was a good book but a bit jumpy。 I wish it focused more and witches and witchcraft， but definitely had me intrigued and makes me wants to explore more about the topic。
Rachael Kosinski
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After the first half of this book I honestly started skimming， which was a real let-down because I couldn't possibly imagine that you could write such boring chapters on witchcraft， demonology， astrology， etc。 The first chapter was so strong and thought-provoking， and the chapter on necromancy went into such specifics that it was really cool， but so much of it was just。。。a terrible bore。 A lot of chapters also mentioned a lot of stuff as fact when it was just？？ Historically not true？？ For exampl After the first half of this book I honestly started skimming， which was a real let-down because I couldn't possibly imagine that you could write such boring chapters on witchcraft， demonology， astrology， etc。 The first chapter was so strong and thought-provoking， and the chapter on necromancy went into such specifics that it was really cool， but so much of it was just。。。a terrible bore。 A lot of chapters also mentioned a lot of stuff as fact when it was just？？ Historically not true？？ For example， a lot of witchcraft allegations were obviously lies and Cavendish wrote the confession letters that the people wrote under torture as true？？ Maybe he was being sarcastic？？ I honestly couldn't tell and couldn't be bothered to analyze it further。 I want to donate it but I live in a rural area so I don't know if any library will accept it。 :P 。。。more
Victor Ellison
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A collection of well researched and still relevant mini primers for origins of various occult subjects。
Sir。 T。
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Highly recommended， if not， fundamental book for every magical scholar in the beginning and initiatory stage。It's a shame that even with the legendary status this book has， it is much likely that beginners nowadays miss out on this magnificent tome during the most crucial stage of their first periods of development; due to the ever-so vast influx of modern 'grimoires' which fail to underline and produce the same fundamental and traditional knowledge and details which are emphasized in this book。 Highly recommended， if not， fundamental book for every magical scholar in the beginning and initiatory stage。It's a shame that even with the legendary status this book has， it is much likely that beginners nowadays miss out on this magnificent tome during the most crucial stage of their first periods of development; due to the ever-so vast influx of modern 'grimoires' which fail to underline and produce the same fundamental and traditional knowledge and details which are emphasized in this book。 Next to the detailed but accessible （for those with affinity） introduction into many themes; including alchemy， ceremonial magic， witchraft， astrology and more; this book is one of the better sources on the concept of the historical roots of devil worship and the Black Mass。 。。。more
Dani
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Absolutely Wonderful。
Shay
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As a historian of this particular field of interest， I went into this book with an open mind。 I fully recognize and realize that this is a dated source in terms of how mainstream some occult practices have become but wow。 Cavendish should have just written a Crowley biography， is there a chapter in this book where he doesn't bring him up？ Crowley is not a reliable source， or the only source in matters of the occult。 Not only that but this book is poorly organized。 It does have some interesting b As a historian of this particular field of interest， I went into this book with an open mind。 I fully recognize and realize that this is a dated source in terms of how mainstream some occult practices have become but wow。 Cavendish should have just written a Crowley biography， is there a chapter in this book where he doesn't bring him up？ Crowley is not a reliable source， or the only source in matters of the occult。 Not only that but this book is poorly organized。 It does have some interesting bits and pieces here and there （that's why this is 2 stars and not 1） but honestly it's not worth it for all the nonsense you have to endure to get there。 。。。more
David
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An incredibly well researched history of different magickal practices with a focus on American/European traditions。 If the edgy Baphomet on the inside cover doesn't pique your interest， the chapter titles （"Necromancy and Psychic Attack"， "The Black Mass"， "Witches"） will。 A solid stepping stone for anyone interested in magick。 I was a huge fan of the author's dry sense of humor （see the chapters on numerology and astrology） when explaining the various concepts， even pointing out the absurdity o An incredibly well researched history of different magickal practices with a focus on American/European traditions。 If the edgy Baphomet on the inside cover doesn't pique your interest， the chapter titles （"Necromancy and Psychic Attack"， "The Black Mass"， "Witches"） will。 A solid stepping stone for anyone interested in magick。 I was a huge fan of the author's dry sense of humor （see the chapters on numerology and astrology） when explaining the various concepts， even pointing out the absurdity of some of the practices and their practitioners。 I honestly feel like the best resource from this book is the massive notes/bibliography。 。。。more
Ellen Camerlynck
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The Black arts covers all sorts of topics， ranging from tarot， alchemy and witchcraft to stanism， Qabbala and black mass。 Though I learned quite a bit， I was personally put off by the dry tone of the writing。 I found it very difficult to concentrate on the content， which is why it took me so long to read。 It was quite interesting to see how all these topics were woven into eachother， even if it was only from a vertain viewpoint。
Chlo
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Some decent overall information on basic occult topics such as energy working （under another name）， alchemy， astrology， negative-impact arts， and major male occult figures。Somehow manages to almost completely erases women in occult history in an insulting fashion that detracts from any good info readers might glean from reading。Probably only useful as mild reference material for views on negative magickal arts from the 1960's， when it was written。 Some decent overall information on basic occult topics such as energy working （under another name）， alchemy， astrology， negative-impact arts， and major male occult figures。Somehow manages to almost completely erases women in occult history in an insulting fashion that detracts from any good info readers might glean from reading。Probably only useful as mild reference material for views on negative magickal arts from the 1960's， when it was written。 。。。more
Tea Hodaj
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First of all， it is not one of those books teaching you how to conduct black magic。 It is a well researched book， gathering historical pieces together。 Its like a history book， but focusing on evidential pieces of occultism。
And_it_spoke
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What a great （if not a little outdated） introduction to the occult！ Not condescending， not full of artificial 'WooooOOOoooo' nonsense， but well researched and objectively stated。 It chooses a wonderful starting point with an analysis of the historical worldview of those who passed on what we know of magic and magical tradition， and segues into key areas and concepts。These work in a building block fashion from least complicated to most。 And while sections on numerology or tincture making can be a What a great （if not a little outdated） introduction to the occult！ Not condescending， not full of artificial 'WooooOOOoooo' nonsense， but well researched and objectively stated。 It chooses a wonderful starting point with an analysis of the historical worldview of those who passed on what we know of magic and magical tradition， and segues into key areas and concepts。These work in a building block fashion from least complicated to most。 And while sections on numerology or tincture making can be a bit dry， they do serve purpose for the later subjects that one would consider the 'stars' of the show - demonology and witchcraft。This is not practical handbook or a spiritual tract。 Just a nobly comprehensive overview of what have been historically accounted as the black arts。 If you're looking for a starting point that doesn't overwhelm you with 'flavor' or an expectation to believe the unbelievable， you could do so much worse than this book。 I recommend if you're looking to survey the topic to see what areas you may want to peruse next。 。。。more
Shaun McNamara
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An interesting overview of the occult world， particularly if you are just getting started in this particular subject。
Rabab
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my only regret is I haven't read the reviews about this book before purchasing it。。 very disappointed。 my only regret is I haven't read the reviews about this book before purchasing it。。 very disappointed。 。。。more
Cari
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I'd like to start this review with the following PSA: I， Carissa Marie Tungate， have no desire to become a black magician。 This book is NOT a manual on how-to perform dark rituals， but instead is a book about the history and theories of occultism and other darkly connotated mystical practices。 It also does not encourage participation in these acts。 With all of that being said， I must say that I found this work by Richard Cavendish to be absolutely， utterly fascinating （and often pretty terrifyi I'd like to start this review with the following PSA: I， Carissa Marie Tungate， have no desire to become a black magician。 This book is NOT a manual on how-to perform dark rituals， but instead is a book about the history and theories of occultism and other darkly connotated mystical practices。 It also does not encourage participation in these acts。 With all of that being said， I must say that I found this work by Richard Cavendish to be absolutely， utterly fascinating （and often pretty terrifying）。 For me it has fueled a greater interest in the topics of numerology and astrology， （which I don't consider to be black arts at all） but much of the information presented about some of the truly-dark arts covered in the book frankly scared the living hell out of me。 Despite the fact that this book was clearly well-researched， I'm still telling myself that some of the stuff Cavendish talked about has to be based on myths。 Picture me covering my ears and singing LALALALA to block out the horrors， because that's kind of what I did when reading certain HORRIFIC parts。 Seriously though， it really was a fascinating read。 。。。more
Jackie
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An obviously researched attempt， but not exceptionally well-written。 The organization leaves much to be desired， in my opinion。 And I was more than a little surprised to learn that this was written within a Judeo-Christian scope。 The material was sporadically interesting， though too large a section was dedicated to numerology and astrology—which aren’t typically defined as being “black arts。” Getting through this was like reading a textbook at times。 I’m not sure what I was hoping for with this An obviously researched attempt， but not exceptionally well-written。 The organization leaves much to be desired， in my opinion。 And I was more than a little surprised to learn that this was written within a Judeo-Christian scope。 The material was sporadically interesting， though too large a section was dedicated to numerology and astrology—which aren’t typically defined as being “black arts。” Getting through this was like reading a textbook at times。 I’m not sure what I was hoping for with this book， but it didn’t quite meet my expectations。 。。。more
Melissa Pawless
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This book was very informative about dark magic。 After reading it， it’s crazy to think how some people who are Satanists and witches actually do these absurd rituals and ceremonies in hopes of invoking demons or the Devil himself。 Some of these religious practices would be considered horrific crimes here in the United States so I almost feel like everything in this book takes place in countries outside of America where murder would be legal， such as Africa， or other similar countries where it is This book was very informative about dark magic。 After reading it， it’s crazy to think how some people who are Satanists and witches actually do these absurd rituals and ceremonies in hopes of invoking demons or the Devil himself。 Some of these religious practices would be considered horrific crimes here in the United States so I almost feel like everything in this book takes place in countries outside of America where murder would be legal， such as Africa， or other similar countries where it is easier to get away with violence and murder。 This book was very， very in-depth with graphic detail。 It’s also very historical and gave me an appreciation for modern witchcraft and pagans。 It has some nice religious philosophy in it that made me question my faith some; nonetheless， this book was very thought provoking。 If I seriously wanted to be a Satanist then I would almost use this book as a guide book to get me started。 。。。more
Gaby
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I started reading this book a long time ago， but I put it down when there was a throwaway line about witches in the Ozarks reading gospel backwards to be "initiated。" I was like， uhh， doubt that。 I picked it back up and eventually got to a segment where Cavendish plainly states that Crowley turned a dude into a camel。 He does not write that Crowley believed he did， or claimed he did。 It is written as a statement of fact。 WTF？ But I'm like lol ok whatev， I'll just accept that pretty much none of I started reading this book a long time ago， but I put it down when there was a throwaway line about witches in the Ozarks reading gospel backwards to be "initiated。" I was like， uhh， doubt that。 I picked it back up and eventually got to a segment where Cavendish plainly states that Crowley turned a dude into a camel。 He does not write that Crowley believed he did， or claimed he did。 It is written as a statement of fact。 WTF？ But I'm like lol ok whatev， I'll just accept that pretty much none of this is true。There is a later mention of an Anna Rhodes in Oroville， CA in the '20s， who led a group of Adamites （nudists， I guess？） and had orgies。 I was like， hey cool， bet I could google this and find out more info。 I googled extensively to try to figure out who this Anna Rhodes really was。 It turns out that the only other references to an Anna Rhodes are in two other books - a book on witchcraft and a book on Satanism - written around the same time。 Each have a few sentences claiming the same thing。 Do all of these books just reference one another？ I understand that this was written in the '60s but like， couldn't they have done a bit more research here？ Not growing up in the church， I did learn a few things about Christianity while I read this。 I learned a little bit about numerology， cabbala， and astrology too。 If you are looking for an informative book on witchcraft， though， this is definitely not the book to read。 。。。more
Jun
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A decent introduction to many different types of magic practice。 Was rambly and hard to follow in some chapters， but then other chapters were really clear and interesting。 Ignites curiousity to read more books about the subjects within。
Jennifer
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This book disappointed me so much but part of it is my fault for not seeing when it was originally published。 I think some of the info is outdated now。 But parts of it were dry and it was a chore to slog through。 Definitely not keeping this on my shelf。
Olivia
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Interesting history of witchcraft but the book's age shows in a bad way。 Bit of a slog to get through but a neat read。 Interesting history of witchcraft but the book's age shows in a bad way。 Bit of a slog to get through but a neat read。 。。。more
James
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Halloween read 2019。 Also some research for book #2 in my writing queue。 Lots of interesting material here - even if each piece is a little brief。 But that's the nature of a summary of the occult and esoterica！ Halloween read 2019。 Also some research for book #2 in my writing queue。 Lots of interesting material here - even if each piece is a little brief。 But that's the nature of a summary of the occult and esoterica！ 。。。more
Micha McCartney
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