12 May 2024

Satan on Screen

Nikolas Schreck. The Satanic Screen: An Illustrated Guide to the Devil in Cinema. Headpress. 2nd edition (9 May 2024)

Satan has figured in film since the very birth of cinema. The Satanic Screen documents all of Satan's cinematic incarnations, covering not only the horror genre but also a whole range of sub-genres including hardcore porn, mondo and underground film.
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9 May 2024

The Survival of Astrology

Patrick Curry. Prophecy and Power: Astrology in Early Modern England. ‎ Sophia Centre Press; 2nd edition (10 May 2024)

Patrick Curry rediscovers the history of astrology in early modern England: he seeks to overturn the accepted view that astrology was a marginal pursuit that died out after the mid-seventeenth century. 
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6 May 2024

Scottish Roots

Raymond Lamont-Brown. Scottish Folklore. Birlinn, (2 May 2024)

Scotland has one of the richest traditions of folklore in the world, and the nation’s greatest writers have been influenced by the country’s abundance of customs, superstitions, ghost stories and folktales. 
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3 May 2024

Practical Magic

Tabitha Stanmore. Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic. Bodley Head. (2 May 2024)

Imagine it's the year 1500 and you've lost your precious silver spoons - or perhaps your neighbour has stolen them. Or maybe your child has a fever. Or you're facing trial. Or you're looking for a lover. Or you're hoping to escape a husband . . . 
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30 Apr 2024

Abduction Enigmas

Cassiel E. Nox. Torn From Reality: The Enigma Of Alien Abduction. Independently published
(23 April 2024)

Explore the shadowy realms of extraterrestrial encounters in Torn From Reality: The Enigma of Alien Abduction. This comprehensive exploration delves deep into one of modern mythology’s most pervasive and enduring legends—the phenomenon of alien abduction.
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28 Apr 2024

Dragon Energies

Stefan Broennle. Dragons and Serpents: Earth Mysteries and the Time of Change. Earthdancer Books (11 April 2024)

Revealing how dragons and serpents are deeply embedded in the story of humankind and the Earth itself, from prehistory to the present, Stefan Broennle takes us on a journey through the myths, legends, symbols, and geomantic powers of dragons in different cultures around the world. He shows how the ancient image of the dragon and the serpent are closely connected with each other. 

26 Apr 2024

The Myth of the Myth

Peter Harrison. Some New World; Myths of Supernatural Belief in a Secular Age. Cambridge University Press (18 April 2014)

In his famous argument against miracles, David Hume gets to the heart of the modern problem of supernatural belief. 'We are apt', says Hume, 'to imagine ourselves transported into some new world where the whole form of nature is disjointed. . .
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Hunting the Griffin Through History

A. L. McClanan. Griffinology: The Griffin's Place in Myth, History and Art. Reaktion Books (13 May 2024)

Griffinology is a fascinating exploration of the mythical creature’s many depictions in human culture. Drawing on a wealth of historical and literary sources, this book shows how the griffin has captured the imagination of people for over 5,000 years, representing power, transcendence and even divinity. 
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24 Apr 2024

Fleurs du Mal

Lee Brickley. Paranormal Plants: Tales of Haunted Horticulture and Ghostly Greenery. Independently published (19 April 2024)

Step into a realm where the natural world intertwines with the spectral. Lee Brickley offers an enthralling exploration of the eeriest flora on Earth. From the wails of the Wailing Willow in Wales to the petrifying touch of Australia’s mythical bush, each chapter unfurls chilling true stories and legendary folklore that will alter the way you view nature.
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22 Apr 2024

Planet Hunting

Lisa Kaltenegger. Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos. ‎ Allen Lane
(16 April 2024)

For thousands of years, humans have wondered whether we're alone in the cosmos. Now, for the first time, we have the technology to investigate. The question should have an obvious answer: yes or no. But once you try to find life elsewhere, you realize it is not so simple. 
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20 Apr 2024

The Enfield Line

Lee Brickley. Enfield Poltergeist Revisited: A Fresh Look at the UK's Most Infamous Haunting (Lee Brickley's Paranormal X-Files). ‎ Independently published (12 April 2024)

Dive deep into one of the UK's most chilling and debated paranormal phenomena with Enfield Poltergeist Revisited. This gripping account by seasoned paranormal investigator Lee Brickley offers a fresh perspective on the mysterious events that haunted the Hodgson family in 1977. 
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18 Apr 2024

My Round

John Warland. Local Legends: The Hidden Pubs of London. Prestel. (2 April 2024)

It’s easy to stumble into London iconic pubs. The ones where Shakespeare trod the boards, or Dickens scribbled his next novel. What’s more difficult and ultimately more rewarding, is finding that special pub that has just the right vibe; the pub that’s tucked away from the maddening crowds of tourists and noisy out-of- towners; that almost mystical pub that you’ll want to return to on a rainy evening, or show off to your friends. 
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16 Apr 2024

Folk Horror to Folk Gothic

Dawn Keetley, Folk Gothic (Elements in the Gothic) Cambridge University Press (1 February 2024)

Folk Gothic begins with the assertion that a significant part of what has been categorised as folk horror is more accurately and usefully labelled as Folk Gothic. Through the modifier 'folk', Folk Gothic obviously shares with folk horror its deployment (and frequent fabrication) of diegetic folklore. 
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14 Apr 2024

The Known Unknowns

Robert Powell. UFOs: A Scientist Explains What We Know (And Don’t Know).‎ Rowman & Littlefield (2 April 2024)

Robert Powell, a founding Board member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies, has studied the UFO subject for 17 years. His work is encapsulated in UFOs: A Scientist Explains What We Know (And Don't Know) which provides a scientific rationale for the reality of non-terrestrial craft that are intelligently controlled. 
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11 Apr 2024

Mystical Histories

Richard H. Jones. A History of Mysticism. ‎State University of New York Press (1 April 2024)

This book offers a historical overview of mysticism in the world's major religious traditions. Beginning with a chapter on the nature of mystical experiences, A History of Mysticism then turns to a discussion of mysticism's prehistory in shamanism and the early use of psychedelics. 
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8 Apr 2024

Psychic Pscandal

Gerald O'Hara. Spiritualisms' Scandal: Mediumship in America. Independently Published (5 March 2024)

The summer of 1960 saw the Spiritualist world rocked by scandal, arguably the greatest to hit the movement. This author calls the scandal "Rifflegate." The editor of the Psychic Observer, America's leading psychic newspaper, and a paranormal investigator filmed six blatantly fraudulent sΓ©ances in infrared. 
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7 Apr 2024

Magical Mystery Tours

Roly Smith. Short Walks to Curious Places: Exploring 50 of Britain's Ancient Sites, Myths and Legends. Conway. (28 Mar. 2024)

Embark on an extraordinary journey through the British countryside, leading to mysterious sites, ancient wonders and legendary landscapes to uncover 50 of the most intriguing walks in Britain. 
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1 Apr 2024

Nowt So Weird as Space

Harry Cliff. Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe. Picador. (28 March)

Experimental physicist at CERN and acclaimed science presenter Harry Cliff offers an eye-opening account of the newly discovered strangenesses of the universe that could transform our understanding of the fundamentals of physics and of reality. 
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30 Mar 2024

Fairyland, Our Fairyland

Morgan Daimler. Fairy: The Otherworld by Many Names. Moon Books (29 March 2024)

The world of Fairy has intrigued humanity across folklore and literature for as long as we have written records and into the modern period. 
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27 Mar 2024

The Matter of Britain

Oliver Smith, On This Holy Island: A Modern Pilgrimage Across Britain. Bloomsbury Continuum (28 March 2024)

Almost 500 years ago, pilgrimage was outlawed in England. In this book acclaimed travel writer Oliver Smith travels across Britain to create an entirely modern pilgrimage - finding the holy places across the country that time has left behind. 
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24 Mar 2024

Dragonlore

Robert M. Sarwark. The Dragon in World Mythology and Culture. McFarland.
(29 March 2024)

Dragons are everywhere, seemingly hidden in plain sight. These mythological reptilian monsters date far into known human history in nearly every part of the world and are still prevalent in today's media and entertainment. 
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22 Mar 2024

Drowned Out

Gareth E. Rees. Sunken Lands: A Journey Through Flooded Kingdoms and Lost Worlds. Elliot & Thompson. (March 21, 2024)

From Stone Age lands that slipped beneath the English Channel to the rapid inundation of New Orleans, Gareth E. Rees explores stories of flooded places from the past – and those disappearing before our eyes.
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20 Mar 2024

Cult Life

Jamie King. Cults: Coercion and Control: The World's Most Notorious Cults (And the People Who Escaped Them).‎ Summersdale (14 March 2024)

Belief system or brainwashing? Captivated or captive? Community or cult? Uncover stories of the world's most infamous cults in this true crime compendium...
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19 Mar 2024

Coprophobia

Chris French and Richard Wiseman. The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal. MIT Press (19 March. 2024)

Ghostly encounters, alien abduction, reincarnation, talking to the dead, UFO sightings, inexplicable coincidences, out-of-body and near-death experiences. Are these legitimate phenomena? If not, then how should we go about understanding them? 
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16 Mar 2024

Frights from the Garden of England

Robert Bard. Paranormal Kent.  Amberley Publishing
(15 March 2024)

In this book Robert Bard takes readers on a spine-tingling journey around Kent to some of its most haunted locations. He discovers tales of ghostly apparitions, unexplained events and paranormal phenomena. 
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