A01=Owen Davies
Age Group_Uncategorized
Age Group_Uncategorized
Author_Owen Davies
automatic-update
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=HBLW
Category=HBTB
Category=HBWN
Category=HRQ
Category=N
Category=NHTB
Category=NHWR5
Category=QRY
COP=United Kingdom
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Language_English
PA=Available
Price_€10 to €20
PS=Active
softlaunch
Product details
- ISBN 9780198862659
- Weight: 322g
- Dimensions: 136 x 215mm
- Publication Date: 05 Aug 2021
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
- Language: English
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
A Supernatural War reveals the surprising stories of extraordinary people in a world caught up with the promise of occult powers.
It was a commonly expressed view during the First World War that the conflict had seen a major revival of 'superstitious' beliefs and practices.
Churches expressed concerns about the wearing of talismans and amulets, the international press paid considerable interest to the pronouncements of astrologers and prophets, and the authorities in several countries periodically clamped down on fortune tellers and mediums due to concerns over their effect on public morale. Out on the battlefields, soldiers of all nations sought to protect themselves through magical and religious rituals, and, on the home front, people sought out psychics and occult practitioners for news of the fate of their distant loved ones or communication with their spirits. Even away from concerns about the war, suspected witches continued to be abused and people continued to resort to magic and magical practitioners for personal protection, love, and success.
Uncovering and examining beliefs, practices, and contemporary opinions regarding the role of the supernatural in the war years, Owen Davies explores the broader issues regarding early twentieth-century society in the West, the psychology of the supernatural during wartime, and the extent to which the war cast a spotlight on the widespread continuation of popular belief in magic.
Owen Davies is Professor of Social History at the University of Hertfordshire. He has published widely on the history of witchcraft, magic, ghosts, and popular medicine, including Grimoires: A History of Magic Books (2009), Paganism: A Very Short Introduction (2011), Magic: A Very Short Introduction (2012), and America Bewitched: The Story of Witchcraft after Salem (2013), and was the editor for The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic (2017).
