Wizards: The Quest for the Wizard from Merlin to Harry Potter

by John Matthews

Presents the history of wizards and magic, covering such topics as the origins of wizardry, the legends surrounding various wizards, the traditional roles of wizards, and the practices of wizards.

Genres: History

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 2003

About the author

John Matthews is an historian, folklorist and author. He has been a full time writer since 1980 and has produced over ninety books on the Arthurian Legends and Grail Studies, as well as short stories and a volume of poetry. He has devoted much of the past thirty years to the study of Arthurian Traditions and myth in general. His best known and most widely read works are ‘Pirates’ (Carlton/Atheneum), No 1 children’s book on the New York Times Review best-seller list for 22 weeks in 2006, ‘The Grail, Quest for Eternal Life’ (Thames & Hudson, 1981) ‘The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom’ (Element, 1994) and ‘The Winter Solstice’ (Quest Books, 1999) which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for that year. His book ‘Celtic Warrior Chiefs’ was a New York Public Library recommended title for young people.

Reviews

[Roshell Bissett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book but strangely laid out and often assumes the reader knows a lot about the history of wizardry already. Would have liked the author to go into more in depth regarding each individual rather than trying to link the various themes of wizardry together.

I'll keep it for reference, but may after time donate it to our little free library after a while if it gets no use.

[ShellWolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

" Harry, a nine year old wizard when the series opens" "Hogwarts Academy for Wizards and Witches" "Dr. Albus Dumbledore" ~facepalm~ I can overlook the age thing since its only off by a year but Dr... DOCTOR Albus Dumbledore!? It's professor! And getting the name of the school that basically everyone, even the people who know nothing about the series, wrong? Especially when citing it in a book specifically about wizards...? And the section of the book that is dedicated to the twentieth/twenty-first century wizards? No... Just... No. ~ facepalm~ even if it weren't about Harry Potter this book would still have lost the points it just did regardless for such blatant inaccuracy within such a specific subject-based book with such a popular and well loved series. Again, I can over look the age thing as it is only off by one year. I could even overlook the other two if they were on their own and didn't have other mistakes accompanying them. Mind you, the mistakes are so obvious also because the bit about Harry Potter is only a very small, short paragraph... Oh, and the Hogwarts Academy for Wizards and Witches part? That is written exactly as it appears in the book. In the order with wizard and witch being on their own (no witchcraft, no wizardry and not in that order {the last of which is no big deal}), the word academy being used, and all capitalized meaning they think that is the name of the school exactly... I was thinking about possibly buying this but now I'm not sure, even outside of the Harry Potter stuff. I think I'd prefer something else. I guess I was expecting this book to be more a slight encyclopedia-like books and would talk a bit more about the wizards themselves. ~shrug~ ah well, still fairly entertaining.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two sides: traditions and variation of the iconic wizard, self-practice of wizardry (visualization-defense-working with the entity Dr. Dree).

Merlin appears as a trickster, prophet, worker of magic and a power for the good. It becomes clear that pride is a significant challenge in the practice of wizardry. Simon Magus, for example, extended beyond himself, failed and symbolized evil.

Harry Potter learns about the stone of the philosophers early in his education. Nicholas Flamel (1330-1418) appears in the installment by J. K. Rowlins as the successful creator of the philosopher's stone: "Our work is the conversion and change of one being into another being, as from one thing into another thing, from debility to strength... for corporately to spirituality." - Nicholas Flamel.

Put in our contemporary terms Carl Jung writes, "Only after I had familiarized myself with alchemy did I realize that the unconscious is a process and that the psyche is transformed or developed by the relationship of the ego to the contents of the unconsciousness."

[Vim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only wizardry reference book I've ever read. I love it, it's easy to read and makes you understand more the history behind wizardry as well as the stereotypes of today's known "Wizards"