Reginald Scot intended his Discoverie of Witchcraft as a sensible argument disputing the existence of witches. It also features a small section on magic. The magic section starts with Booke 13 and Chapter 22. You will find rich full accounts of charges against witches, witch trials and practice of the black arts. Further, interviews with convicted witches, excerpts from inquisition, astrology, alchemy, charms, the names of demons, angels and other "words of power", spells, rituals, sabbats, biblical and Egyptian magic, and more. The Discoverie remains a much quoted primary source for those interested in the occult sciences as well as magic.
[Note an annotated version of the magic sections was published by Stephen Forrester: Annotated Discovery of Witchcraft.]
first edition 1584; 317 pages
word count: 194410 which is equivalent to 777 standard pages of text
Reviewed by Gregg Webb (confirmed purchase)
★★★★★ Date Added: Sunday 03 May, 2026Probably the original source of a lot of our magic and also the philosophy behind it. Every magician owes it to themselves to ground their knowledge with the background of knowing how it began, what it is all about, and why it exists, and how it works. I can remember David Roth, who was the first one on the scene to get really enthused by this book, telling people when they asked who invented a certain trick, "It's in Scott." There are many parts to the book, from the early explanations of the supernatural, to tricks, to demonology, to how to avoid being hauled before the Inquisition. Students of magic should start at the bottom. The foundation.
