Alfred Thompson

Magic and Mystery Alfred Thompson

Although written from the perspective of skepticism (and even hostility towards some superstition in a more general sense, ) Alfred Thompson's "Magic and Mystery" is a fine work that at once compiles folklore and details a bit about the history of some pagan and other practices. As a sign of its era, some of the rationalist arguments it employs (especially those of a scientific nature) are themselves arguably now classed more with folklore than the folklore it compiles. With sections as widely varied as folk medicine and homeopathy, to antiquity and the then-modern late 19th century, this is indeed a work of note for the occultist and skeptic alike.