Magic: A Very Short Introduction Apr 2026

The book is structured into two main sections— and Practice —to help readers navigate how magic has been defined and used.

: Magic is often used as a rhetorical tool. Since the Enlightenment, Western thinkers have frequently labeled magic as "primitive" or "benighted" to distinguish modern progress from earlier human stages. Magic: A Very Short Introduction

: Examining how magic was recorded in grimoires and actually performed. The book is structured into two main sections—

: Exploring how humans naturally engage in "magical thinking". in the medieval era

: Davies argues that magic, science, and religion are inextricably linked . For example, in the medieval era, "natural magic" was seen as a legitimate way to unlock God's secrets in the material world.