NATURAL MAGICK - Porta, 1st 1957 - MAGIC, NATURAL AND OCCULT PHENOMENA, NATURE

NATURAL MAGICK

Book Details + Condition: Basic Books, Inc. (New York). First Edition by this publisher, 1957. Hardcover with decorated slipcase. 416 pages. Illustrated. A volume in the publisher's "Collector's Series in Science". Facsimile edition of the work first published in an abridged edition in 1558, and then in an English edition in 1658. Giambattista della Porta's NATURAL MAGICK is a comprehensive collection of the natural world's wonders - or, as he states in the title - "wherein are set forth all the riches and delights of the natural sciences." In the work, he documents the properties of plants, minerals, and other natural phenomena. Della Porta pioneered studies on herbs, optical illusions, and lenses - while also bridging the gap between such studies as alchemy and chemistry, and astrology and astronomy. Through seeking naturalistic explanations for phenomena widely considered "magickal", he further elaborates upon such esoteric studies as talismans, sympathetic magic, and the celestial and terrestrial phenomena.

The book is in very good condition, with firm binding and light shelf wear; the interior is clean and free of markings. The original slipcase shows normal aging and wear, with some darkening and rubbing.