Ghost-Magic: Witches, Wizards and the Dead in the Ancient World

by Daniel Ogden

Hard cover, in very good condition, with unclipped dust jacket in good condition. General shelf and handling wear, including creasing to DJ edges, corners and folds, small open and closed tears to spine head and foot, and tanning to edges. Cover is rubbed and scored. Page block lightly marked and corners are bumped. Within, pages are tightly bound and content is clear and bright. CN

Genres: History, Folklore, Mythology, Nonfiction, Occult

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2008

About the author

Professor of Ancient History; Honorary Research Fellow, UNISA



Principal research areas:

(1) traditional narratives in antiquity;

(2) Greek religion;

(3) Macedonian and Hellenistic Dynasties.

Reviews

[Gregory Mele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating overview, meant to accompany the author's other works -- which present the historical material in translation (this work DOES NOT, except in brief summary). Ogden is a great scholar and has wry humor, but it can too often turn waspish towards fellow academics he does not like.

Still an in interesting look at how the medicine woman becomes a witch in the Bronze Age Mediterranean and then combines with Asiatic wise-men to give us our idea of the wizard, sorcerer or mage of the Greco-Roman world.

[Venetia · Rating 4 out of 5]

More entertainment/popularist than academic, but still an interesting read with relevant facts and points on the topic. Definitely worth a read for those new to the subject wanting to know more, and those wishing for a refresher or short introduction to this area of study. Would recommend some of Ogden's other books for those who want a more in-depth, academic explanation of the subject, particularly his book on necromancy, and his sourcebook

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel Ogden is a brilliant historian. I love that he covers topics such as occultism in Antiquity without bias and simply presents the information in a clean succinct manner that allows the reader to draw their own conclusions and make a superb jumping point for any research projects or forays into the unique world of Greco-Roman Occultism.

[Sophie-Louise McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - informative and incredibly good at relaying stories in a tight impactful way. I would’ve liked a little more opinion and more view points. But I understand this is one author and his take on the history/stories of long ago.

[Louise Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't finish this because of the way it was written - no stars at all for readability. I like books where the author shares passiona nd love of a subject. This book feels like an academic paper aimed at proving how clever the author is. His waspish tone was quite funny at times - other people's theories are described as 'narcissistic posturings' or 'same old stock-in-trade' and so on. In all fairness I had to add 3 stars, because of the usefulness of the factual material, but seeing as I didn't need to read it, I got bored with trying to untangle his clunky sentences and having to stop to look up words all the time.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

i can't tell if this was a really good book or after reading 'Greek Magical Papyri in translation' then "Magika Hiera" then "Greek Magic, Ancient Medieval, and Modern" has made all this stuff sink in and make some sense to me.

[Konstanze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talking with dead people? Witches ripping your heart out? Sacrificing little boys? Extramarital sex with the zombie girl? Makes a simply delightful read.

[Floortje Zwigtman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mainly a retelling of stories about witches, ghosts and revenants. No real information about how the Ancients experienced 'magic', (fear of) ghosts and the after life in their real lives.