13 h 32 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 13 h 32 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Why do people turn to spirits and signs in an age of railways, telegraphs and universities?
In Modern Magic, M. Schele de Vere follows the magical arts from ancient rites to the spirit rapping of his own day. Priests, seers, alchemists and spiritualists fill this survey of how people seek knowledge, power and contact with the unseen.
Table turning, mesmerism and claims of talk with the dead reach parlors across America and Europe. De Vere neither simply mocks nor praises these beliefs. He asks where they come from, how people practice them, and why they endure alongside science. The question is not only what people believe, but what needs those beliefs answer.
What you’ll discover
- Rites before science Explore how people use signs and spoken formulas to understand and try to shape their world.
- The authority of oracles Enter ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, where priests and seers claim to speak for higher powers.
- The fear behind witchcraft Follow the darker turn of magic through the long European centuries of witchcraft and fear.
- Gold and a cure Meet alchemists seeking to transform common metals and find a medicine for every illness.
- Spirits in the parlor Encounter table turning and spirit rapping as de Vere examines the spiritualism of his own time.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who enjoy ghost stories with names and dates attached, curious case histories, and the Victorian habit of weighing marvels against medicine, religion and common sense.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Fear gave witch hunts their power
- Trance matters more than magic tools
- Dreams reveal a freer working mind
- Ghost stories invite belief and doubt
- Possession expresses an inner struggle
- One mind can shape another
- Healing depends on shared belief
- Inward devotion can affect the body
- Separate strange experiences from their explanations
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Modern Magic in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Modern Magic
by M. Schele de Vere · 1873
A disguised king visits a witch at Endor, and a dead prophet rises to repeat his warnings.
Challenging5–10 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“out of darkness cometh light”
In short
What happens when a frightened king, in disguise, asks a witch to call up a dead prophet? The scene at Endor opens the second chapter of Modern Magic, and it sets the tone for the whole book.
Modern Magic at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 45 min6 h 10 min fast, 9 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 110,600 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1873by M. Schele de Vere
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Witch trials grew from fear and learned men
The book opens with the madness of witch hunting. Schele de Vere blames the judges and theologians more than the poor women who died. A papal bull of 1484 and a handbook of judges called the Malleus gave the hunt its rules.
He lists the cruelties. Accused women were tortured until they confessed. A numb spot on the skin proved guilt, and so did the lack of one, since the Devil supposedly left his trusted servants unmarked. Floating in water counted as proof too.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1873
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 8 h 50 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Schele de Vere, M. Modern Magic. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/modern-magic.
Schele de Vere, M. (2026). Modern magic. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/modern-magic (Original work published 1873)
Schele de Vere, M. Modern Magic. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/modern-magic.
@book{scheledevere2026modern,
author = {Schele de Vere, M.},
title = {Modern Magic},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/modern-magic},
note = {First published 1873}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Modern Magic
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Modern Magic by Schele de Vere about?
It is a collection of ten essays on witchcraft, magic, dreams, visions, ghosts, divination, possession, mesmerism, faith healing and mysticism. The author gathers case histories and asks what they show about the powers of the human mind and soul.
When was Modern Magic written and is it a true account?
It was published in New York in 1873. The author draws on histories, doctors' reports, travelers and letters, and names his sources. He separates fraud and delusion from cases he thinks remain unexplained, but readers should weigh each story themselves.
What is the main message of Modern Magic?
The author argues that people have mental and spiritual powers beyond ordinary senses, and that these deserve calm scientific study. He asks readers neither to scoff at strange phenomena nor to accept every tale, but to look for the grain of truth.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
