A Magical Misleading at Jessup Library
Kaytlynne Gentry, staff writer
I was a little disappointed; I was expecting to pick up a book about the history and evolution of superstition, science and magic in A Magical World: Superstition and Science from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, by Derek K. Wilson, but soon found out it was about the study of religion and science.
The cover and book jacket blurb are misleading. It starts off with a little history on the origin of the 42 conspiracy and goes on to talk about European history and Christian theology. However, there are a few references of mythology, pagan magic, and demons. Wilson covers European history from the fall of the Romans to the revolution in 1789.
Even though I was let down and mislead, I am enjoying the read. Wilson brings to light information that is not commonly mentioned. Wilson’s work A Magical World is well researched and written and makes me think he purposely misleads his readers with the title due to influence of Christianity. While I understand that magic is a controversial subject, I feel he uses the title and book cover as a way to draw attention of the readers who would not normally read about Christianity.
A Magical World: Superstition and Science from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment can be found in the religions and science section in the Betty Sue Jessup library. The call number is BL 245.W68 2018. The book is available now.
