"Page for page this book probably contains more occult secrets than any other..."
So declares Elbee Wright in the Foreword to this remarkable compendium of magical rites, supernatural practices, and esoteric lore. And with 225 pages devoted to spells, charms, incantations, and rituals of every imaginable purpose, the boast seems almost plausible
Drawing upon medieval grimoires, folklore, and the magical traditions of numerous cultures and historical periods, Wright invites his readers on what he calls a "voyage into the unknown." His interests are decidedly practical: not simply the history of magic, but its purported mechanics, its implements, its ceremonies, and the extraordinary range of human desires to which it has been applied.
The book's list of General Contents promise spells for love, money, power, protection, good health, long life, good fortune, and success, alongside more sinister or peculiar undertakings: the casting and removal of curses, the banishment of demons, the summoning of spirits, necromancy, the making of wax images, the defeat of enemies, and the creation of familiars. There are spells to find treasure, prevent arthritis, become pregnant, stop love affairs, ward off the evil eye, and improve one's luck at gambling. Few human anxieties or ambitions appear to have escaped the attentions of the spellcaster.
The publisher's back-cover copy is appropriately breathless:
A fantastic book never before available. Actual step-by-step rituals of White Magic, Black Magic, Voodoo, Witchcraft. [sic] Ceremonial Magic, etc. are shown in exact detail.
Wright himself adopts a more circumspect position, acknowledging the uncertainty of his sources and the difficulty of tracing legends through centuries of cultural borrowing. He concludes his Foreword with a distinction between the believer's and the skeptic's understanding of magic:
To the person who believes in supernatural magic, the end result of passive or active application of that belief constitutes a spell. To the disbeliever, all such magic is an illusion and superstition.
Whatever one's disposition toward the supernatural, this is an alluring specimen of vintage occult publishing: part folkloric miscellany, part practical handbook, and part testament to the persistent human hope that the mysterious forces of the universe might, with the right words and preparations, be persuaded to cooperate.
Bibliographic details
- Author: Elbee Wright
- Publisher: Marlar Publishing Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Year: 1974, twenty-first printing
- Length: 225 pages
- Format: Softcover; black-and-white interior illustrations and text
- Condition: Good to Very Good. Some shelf wear to the covers, without tears or creases. Pages are clean and appear unmarked.
An appealing vintage volume for collectors of occult literature, students of folklore and esoterica, and anyone curious about the remarkably various things for which our predecessors have sought supernatural assistance.