Popular Magic: Cunning-Folk in English History - by Owen Davies (Paperback)

About the Book

Local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued service to the community, cunning-folk were far more representative of magical practice than the arcane delvings of astrologers and necromancers. Mostly unsensational in their approach, cunning-folk helped people with everyday problems. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored.

Book Synopsis

Cunning-folk were local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued service to the community. They were far more representative of magical practice than the arcane delvings of astrologers and necromancers. Mostly unsensational in their approach, cunning-folk helped people with everyday problems: how to find lost objects; how to escape from bad luck or a suspected spell; and how to attract a lover or keep the love of a husband or wife. While cunning-folk sometimes fell foul of the authorities, both church and state often turned a blind eye to their existence and practices, distinguishing what they did from the rare and sensational cases of malvolent witchcraft. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored.

Review Quotes

"a detailed and valuable survey of a poorly understood group of people"--Sanford Lakoff

"absorbing, entertaining and informative"--Sanford Lakoff

"the first comprehensive history of English cunning craft"--Sanford Lakoff

"His book is well researched, making excellent use of court reports and press items from the eighteenth century to the twentieth. A very valuable contribution to historical folklore studies."--Sanford Lakoff

"absorbing, entertaining and informative"--,

"absorbing, entertaining and informative"--Northern Earth

About the Author

Owen Davies is Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire and the author of "Murder, Magic, Madness: The Victorian Trials of Dove and the Wizard" (2005).