This was originally a two volume set which is now bound as one. Here is presented an investigation of the nature of the earliest extant records of the supposed communication with angels and spirits of John Dee (1527-1608) with the assistance of his two mediums or 'scryers'; Barnabas Saul and Edward Kelly. Volume 2 of this work is a transcription of the records in Dee's hand contained in Sloane MS 3188; which has been transcribed only once before; by Elias Ashmole in 1672. Volume 1 is an introduction and thorough commentary to the text which is primarily explaining its many obscurities. The author describes the physical state of the manuscript and its history then continues with a biography of Dee and his scryers and some background to Renaissance occult philosophy. Further chapters address the arguments that the manuscript represents a conscious fraud or a cryptographical exercise and describe the magical system and instruments evolved during the communications or 'Actions'. The last; fascinating chapter examines Dee's motives for believing so strongly in the truth of the Actions and suggests that a principal motive was the conviction; not held by Dee alone; that a new age was about to dawn upon earth.
#562832 in Books Cengage Learning 2012-12-31Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.00 x 8.00 x .75l; 1.85 #File Name: 1133934773544 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. UnorganizedBy AnnI used this book for a history class I was taking. I really liked the digital format of the book. The digital format is easy to navigate; and the ability to read offline was a major plus. However; I found the text itself to be excessively wordy and confusing. It often lacked significant details and included irrelevant information. History has an amazing potential to provide interesting narrative tales that captivate the student. This book; however; simply bores the reader. I found the lack of organization to be confusing; offering no continuity. Overall; it is not nearly as good as most other history books I have experience with.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Ryan KahrsThe best price I found2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. E-Book VersionBy B. SullivanThis is simply a scanned PDF. Provides no basic digital navigation capabilities for topics; chapters; maps; or anything else; no working hyperlinks. Though clearly stated in e-book description; it is missing a large amount of secondary texts and pictures due to copyright restrictions. Returned immediately.
