I'm currently reading Owen Davies' latest book, Grimoires: A History of Magic Books (2009). It's quite amazing--so much information. He packs quite a lot into each sentence. Among other subjects, he covers the uses and regulation of magic books, both by priests and by magicians. Here's an article about the book from the Guardian.
The Table of Contents:
Introduction 1
1 Ancient and Medieval Grimoires 6
2 The War against Magic 44
3 Enlightement and Treasure 93
4 Across the Oceans 139
5 Rediscovering Ancient Magic 168
6 Grimoires USA 189
7 Pulp Magic 232
8 Lovecraft, Satan, and Shadows 262
Epilogue 278
How Dr. Davies manages to write so much I don't know but I'm happy he does. Check out his other books, among them Haunted: A Social History of Ghosts (2007), Murder, Magic, Madness: The Victorian Trials of Dove and the Wizard (2005), and Popular Magic: Cunning Folk in English History (2007).
