The history of magicians and magic.

Explore the eccentric characters, beliefs, and clients of 19th-century village conjurors, including Exeter prophetess Joanna Southcott, Leeds witch and murderess Mary Bateman, and murder-victim Ann Tennant. This book examines the period's pandemic of "witch scratching" and presents Michael Slater's extensive research that has revealed fascinating new depths to the history of supernatural study.

The inside of Derren Brown's head is a strange and mysterious place. Now you can climb inside and wander around. Find out just how Derren's mind works, see what motivates him and discover what made him the weird and wonderful person he is today.

It seems a long time ago that Fitz and Gabby were together, with his work on extinct species about to make him world-famous. Now, it's his career that is almost extinct. Suddenly, though, the beautiful Gabby reappears in his life. She wants his help in tracing the history of The Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, a creature once owned by the great 18th Century naturalist Joseph Banks. It soon becomes clear that Fitz is getting involved in something more complicated - and dangerous - than the search for a stuffed bird. To solve the puzzle, he must uncover the identity of the amazing woman Banks loved - a woman who has disappeared from history as effectively as the specimen he is hunting. A mixture of detection, romance and history, THE CONJUROR'S BIRD has all the makings of a word-of-mouth bestseller.

The Conjurer’s Bird is a beautiful story in the spirit of Possession that is as exciting as The Club Dumas, inspired by one of the great puzzles of natural history: that of the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta. Seen only once, in 1774, by Captain Cook’s second expedition to the South Seas, a single specimen was captured, preserved, and brought back to England. The bird was given to famed naturalist Joseph Banks, who displayed it proudly in his collection until its sudden, unexplained disappearance. Two hundred years later, naturalists continue to wonder if the world will ever get another glimpse of the elusive bird. Were it not for a colored drawing done by the ship’s artist, there would be nothing to say that the bird had ever existed. The Conjurer’s Bird is a gripping literary mystery and passionate love story that tackles the intrigue surrounding the celebrated Banks, his secret affair with an enigmatic woman known only as “Miss B,” and the legendary bird that becomes a touchstone for their love. Seamlessly spanning two time periods, The Conjurer’s Bird is at once the story of this romance and of a present-day conservationist named Fitz, who is drawn into a thrilling and near-impossible race to find the elusive bird’s only known remains. An Alternate Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book Club

Siblings Emma and Alex tumble into a secret world where magic is real and skilled illusionists can perform actual tricks--for better or worse. Perfect for fans of the Magic Misfits and the Land of Stories series. After their parents vanished, Alex and Emma are sent to live with strict Uncle Mordo. Only Emma's pet rabbit, Pimawa, keeps them company. But when flying skeletons called Rag-o-Rocs storm their once-quiet home, the kids escape just in time with Pimawa leading the way. The rabbit takes the siblings to the Conjurian, a land where magic exists and Pimawa can talk. But the Conjurian is in trouble. Magic has been disappearing, and the Shadow Conjurer, the most mysterious sorcerer of all, is on the hunt for the Eye of Dedi, an object so powerful it could destroy the Conjurian and human worlds. The battle to control all magic has begun. There's only one problem: Alex and Emma don't have any! Masterful storytelling and dozens of captivating illustrations fill author-illustrator Brian Anderson's world with charm and intrigue. Fall under the spell of the Conjurers.

Vols. for 1871-76, 1913-14 include an extra number, The Christmas bookseller, separately paged and not included in the consecutive numbering of the regular series.

This volume presents a study of the life and work of the Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam. 0Before any sound critical framework could be evolved around the phenomenal artist Jangarh Singh Shyam as the originator of an extraordinary individualistic idiom of painting, ruthless market forces regrettably came to dominate his art and Jangarh himself became their first casualty. While trying to finish a large commission at a museum in Japan under adverse circumstances, Jangarh committed suicide in 2001. He was 40.0The book probes the efficacy of extra-cultural interventions into an individual artist?s operative and relatively well-grounded indigenous cultural tradition, and asks how the latter interacts with the new, while intentionally reinventing itself. Equipped with a powerful sensibility and a profound nostalgia for the world of his native village of Patangarh that he left behind, Jangarh created, over two decades in Bhopal, a sea of paintings inhabited by gods and demons, shamans and priests, birds and animals?crabs, scorpions, lizards and crocodiles?as well as forests, trees and shrubbery. The entire realm that had remained latent in his mind?s eye over the years thus came to life, image by image, in response to the new and alluring space of paper, canvas or the expansive walls that he turned into a vast and unique conjuror?s archive?opening up a personal space from where to speak.