History of Magic and Experimental Science

by Lynn Thorndike

History of Magic and Experimental Science is a two-volume study by Lynn Thorndike, American historian of medieval science and alchemy. The book covers a period from antique until the thirteen century. Thorndike writes about magic and science in medieval times with the goal of finding a historical truth. Table of Volume 1: Book I. The Roman Empire Book II. Early Christian Thought Book III. The Early Middle Ages Volume 2: Book IV. The Twelfth Century Book V. The Thirteenth Century

Genres: History

2344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 1923

About the author

Lynn Thorndike was an American historian of medieval science and alchemy.

He was the brother of the psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike and of scholar Ashley Horace Thorndike.

Reviews

[dragonhelmuk]

Kindled for free: This book is not 7 volumes long, only 2, but it is still fairly weighty. It tells the story of all the greatest individuals and schools of magic that existed from Roman times 'till C13. Mostly it goes a long way towards demonstrating that what we call magic hasn't always been magic, (hence the title magic and experimental science). Even in Christian times, while "magic" has always been seen as evil, astrology, theurgy, numerology, and alchemy were all frequently accepted even by doctors of the church.
Three snippets is far too short for you to get an idea of what this book is about, but here are my favourites:

"… the movements of every thing effect those of every other, and that the birds them- selves, if endowed with sufficient intelligence, would be able to predict the future by observing the movements of human bipeds."

“knowledge should be esoteric ; that its mysteries alchemist. and marvels should be confined to the few fitted to receive them and that they should be expressed in language incomprehensible to the vulgar crowd.”

“To tell whether a pregnant woman will give birth to a boy or a girl he suggests "a chiromantic experiment" which consists simply in asking her to hold out her hand. If she extends the right, the child will be a boy ; if the left, a girl. “