WIZARDS AND WITCHES, THE ENCHANTED WORLD

Brendan Lehane Time-Life 1986.

The power to alter the course of nature and history, to summon spirits, control weather, become invisible. The power to use charms, songs and riddles to cast spells that cannot be resisted…. these are the powers that set the wizard apart from mere mortals.

Now, in the pages of Wizards and Witches, you may enter the hidden sanctuaries of these master magicians and discover their dark secrets. With one flash of brimstone you’ll find yourself transported to a midnight realm of magic, wizardry and darkest sorcery.

Other tales take you inside the windowless black schools of the Devil where wizards seek power denied to ordinary men. Meet master sorcerers like Gilles De Retz, and Roger Bacon who once conjured up a dazzling quintet of illusions to delight each of the king’s five senses, and shiver as the doomed Faustus seals his diabolical bargain with the devil.

Wizards and Witches bubbles with a beguiling brew of chilling witch tales, stories and lore, and the secrets of the magical touchstones which bring untold power.

The book is large format and illustrated with the most sumptuous colour plates of various myths and stories.

A magnificent addition to any library on the subject.

The dust jacket is in need of some magic however, there are several splits, the worst of which are at the top, front and rear, especially the rear, with several splits between one and three centimetres which have caused the jacket to ‘roll’ slightly. There is also a triangular ‘catch’ tear with sides approximately one centimetre along the front leading edge towards the top. Finally, with the jacket, there is a vertical crease up the inside fold.

The book itself has fared much better, and the front board is pictorial, with the image of the wizard on the front of the dust jacket surrounded by a gold embossed dragon and a fairy figure. There is a small amount of light sunning, mainly to the rear (plain) cover board, together with an odd light mark or stain.

These are only very minor however, but have to be mentioned in the cause of accuracy.

The artwork in this book is truly beautiful, the pages are clean and tightly bound.

The book is heavy, over a kilo, so parcel or surface post may be the order of the day.