Description

Modern Magic is a book by Maximilian Schele de Vere, first published in 1873. This intriguing work explores the folklore, superstitions, and mystical beliefs that shaped both ancient and modern understandings of magic. Written by a nineteenth-century philologist and professor, the book takes a scholarly yet curious approach to subjects such as alchemy, divination, witchcraft, astrology, talismans, and spiritualism. Drawing from diverse cultural sources and historical anecdotes, it offers insight into how magical practices have influenced human thought and behavior across time. With its blend of academic inquiry and fascination with the occult, the book provides a unique window into the Victorian era’s engagement with the mysterious and the arcane.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Alchemy and Hermeticism, Astrology, Divination and oracles, Occultism and esotericism, Parapsychology and psychical research, Ritual magic and grimoires, Spiritualism, mediumship, and channeling, and Witchcraft and folk magic.

Occultism and esotericism
Retained metadata contains “occult” in the description.
- “occult”· in description
Ritual magic and grimoires
Retained metadata contains “Magic” in the title, “Magic” in the description, “Talismans” in the description, and 1 additional metadata match(es).
- “Magic”· in title
- “Magic”· in description
- “Talismans”· in description
- “Magic”· in edition title
Witchcraft and folk magic
Retained metadata contains “Witchcraft” in the description.
- “Witchcraft”· in description
Alchemy and Hermeticism
Retained metadata contains “Alchemy” in the description.
- “Alchemy”· in description
Astrology
Retained metadata contains “Astrology” in the description.
- “Astrology”· in description
Divination and oracles
Retained metadata contains “Divination” in the description.
- “Divination”· in description
Spiritualism, mediumship, and channeling
Retained metadata contains “Spiritualism” in the description.
- “Spiritualism”· in description
Parapsychology and psychical research
Controlled discovery queries from global-grey matched “Paranormal and Mysteries”. Retained metadata contains “Paranormal and Mysteries” in the subject metadata.
- “Paranormal and Mysteries”· via Global Grey ebooks
- “Paranormal and Mysteries”· in subject

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

Read & download

Free, public copies reported by our sources. Links open the source directly.

Global Grey ebooks
Global Grey describes the underlying texts in its catalog as public domain; its branding and website name remain protected, and users must assess local law.

marks a direct file download. Rights vary by country; each source states its own terms.

Buy or borrow

No ISBN on record, so the Amazon link searches by title and author. WorldCat shows libraries near you that hold a copy.

Editions

One edition cataloged here.

Edition	Date	Publisher	Language	ISBN	Access	Links
Global Grey ebook edition (available formats vary by title)	—	Global Grey ebooks	English	—	Public download	Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab)