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       #Post#: 58--------------------------------------------------
       The Cunning Man's Handbook: The Practice of English Folk Magic, 
       1550-1900
       By: Alfred Raeburne Date: October 27, 2014, 3:35 pm
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  HTML http://www.amazon.com/The-Cunning-Mans-Handbook-1550-1900/dp/1905297688/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1AS5E0D79Z1FHNDSRT1B
       "The desire to understand magic in any specific cultural context
       is an intellectual puzzle not only for scholars but believers."
       - Jim Baker The Cunning Man's Handbook is a monumental work of
       phenomenal scope and scholarship,a comprehensive and challenging
       exploration of the practices and beliefs of Cunning Folk in
       Britain and America between 1550-1900, their heyday. Exploring
       the social and theological milieu of the period, the author
       demonstrates the essentially Christian nature of Cunning
       practices, presenting an illuminating discourse on the concept
       of magic and its perceived methodologies. Operating at the
       boundaries of the law and society, between medicine and magic,
       Cunning men and women occupied a liminal role as healers,
       charmers and magicians. Drawing from a huge range of sources,
       the range of services offered by Cunning Folk is thoroughly
       expounded, from divination through astrology and geomancy to
       dream interpretation, from charms, spells and curses to
       conjurations and treasure hunting. As author Jim Baker states,
       "The focus here is on the practice of folk magic and divination
       for access to the preternatural". The evolution of Cunning
       practices as a living tradition over a three hundred and fifty
       year span is explored in depth, illustrating their practical and
       contemporary nature. The analogous practices of African-American
       conjure and root work are also discussed and offer insights into
       oral fragments of Cunning practices lost to history, presenting
       a compelling example of how modernity modifies
       tradition."~Amazon Review
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