
Produced by Wendy Crockett, Carlo Traverso, Charles Franks
LIVES OF THE NECROMANCERS: - OR - AN ACCOUNT OF THE MOST EMINENT PERSONS IN SUCCESSIVE AGES, WHO HAVE CLAIMED FOR THEMSELVES, OR TO WHOM HAS BEEN IMPUTED BY OTHERS, - THE - EXERCISE OF MAGICAL POWER. - BY WILLIAM GODWIN. - LONDON
PREFACE.
LIVES OF THE NECROMANCERS
AMBITIOUS NATURE OF MAN
HIS DESIRE TO PENETRATE INTO FUTURITY.
DIVINATION.
AUGURY.
CHIROMANCY.
PHYSIOGNOMY.
Delve into a sweeping portrait of those who have dared to claim, or have been accused of claiming, control over the unseen forces of the world. Drawing from centuries‑old accounts, the work catalogues the lives of self‑styled necromancers, court astrologers, and occult philosophers, revealing the social standing, ambitions, and personal quirks that propelled them into the public eye. Along the way it reflects on the human desire for mastery over nature, showing how pride and curiosity have repeatedly driven people toward the mysterious and the forbidden.
Beyond mere biography, the narrative uses these stories as a lens to examine the broader currents of belief, skepticism, and the limits of reason. It asks what compels societies to both revere and revile those who promise to bend fate, and how such figures have shaped politics, art, and everyday superstition. Listeners will come away with a richer understanding of how the allure of sorcery has threaded through history, illuminating both the brilliance and the folly of the human mind.
Language
en
Duration
~11 hours (634K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
Dec 1, 2004
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1756–1836
A bold English thinker of the late Enlightenment, he wrote fiction and political philosophy that challenged inherited power and argued for reason, liberty, and social reform. He is also remembered as the husband of Mary Wollstonecraft and the father of Mary Shelley.
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