A General Theory of Magic

Offers a fascinating snapshot of magic throughout various cultures as well as deep sociological and religious insights still very much relevant today.

First written by Marcel Mauss and Henri Humbert in 1902, A General Theory of Magic gained a wide new readership when republished by Mauss in 1950. As a study of magic in 'primitive' societies and its survival today in our thoughts and social actions, it represents what Claude Lévi-Strauss called, in an introduction to that edition, the astonishing modernity of the mind of one of the century's greatest thinkers. The book offers a fascinating snapshot of magic throughout various cultures as well as deep sociological and religious insights still very much relevant today. At a period when art, magic and science appear to be crossing paths once again, A General Theory of Magic presents itself as a classic for our times.

Foreword by Dr D. F. Pocock, Prologue, 1 Sources and Historical Background, 2 A Definition of Magic, 3 The Elements of Magic, 1 The Magician, 2 The Actions, 3 Representations, 4 General Observations, 4 An Analysis and Explanation of Magic, 1 Belief, 2 An Analysis of Ideological Explanations Concerning the Effectiveness of Ritual, 3 Mana, 4 Collective States and Collective Forces, 5 Conclusion, Index