The Philosophy of Magic, Prodigies and Apparent Miracles

First published in the 1820s, Eusèbe Salverte’s The Philosophy of Magic is a daring and unsettling investigation into the origins of prodigies, wonders, and miracles. Far from mere skepticism, Salverte sought to uncover the hidden laws of nature, secret knowledge, and occult sciences that lay behind the spectacles once thought divine.

In these pages, illusions are stripped bare, prodigies explained, and miracles revealed as the cunning work of ancient magicians, priests, and sorcerers. Yet the book’s power lies not only in its demystifications, but in the shadows it leaves—reminders that many of these secrets were dangerous, suppressed, or cloaked in mystery for good reason.

Blending history, folklore, occult tradition, and rational inquiry, Salverte’s work stands as both a chronicle of mankind’s fascination with the marvelous and a warning about the peril of mistaking the supernatural for the natural.

Complete edition of Eusèbe Salverte’s classic investigation

Explores magic, miracles, illusions, prodigies, and the occult sciences

A landmark text in the study of superstition, esotericism, and cultural history

Essential for collectors of rare occult literature and students of belief and wonder