A review by tinido
Magic: A Very Short Introduction by Owen Davies

4.0

To write a useful introduction into magic as an historical and contemporary phenomenon and the different and hotly debated anthropological and historical concepts of magic on just 100 (small) pages borders itself on magic. But Owen Davies did it, and I learned a lot from this very short introduction, especially on the fraught history of magic as an anthropological concept, and how practicing magic is a very common thing, even nowadays. I found his language highly accessible, the recommendation for further reading are very helpful. Minor quibble: The book could use an update relating to the connections between anthropology and archaeology as sciences intimately connected to European imperialism, and how it still forms our conception of magic.