A History of Magic and Experimental Science, Volume 1 (of 2) / During the First Thirteen Centuries of Our Era

A systematic survey charts how magical practices and empirical inquiry overlapped from late antiquity through the medieval era, using careful manuscript and textual evidence to trace the transmission of ancient sources and the debates they provoked. Organized by author and topic, the study examines divination, astrology, alchemy, natural magic, and early experimental techniques alongside medicine, philosophy, and theology, showing institutional contexts such as universities and libraries and the shifting boundaries between superstition and scholarly investigation. It combines close readings of primary texts with historiographical commentary to map intellectual continuities, controversies, and methodological change across the period.