Natural Magick
revised and edited by Paul Summers Young
Giambattista della Porta’s magnum opus, Magia Naturalis (Natural Magick), is a foundational text blending ancient knowledge with the emerging scientific discoveries of his time.
Natural Magick is a comprehensive compilation of the natural world's wonders, documenting the properties of plants, minerals, and other natural phenomena. Della Porta's work bridges the gap between alchemy and chemistry and between astrology and astronomy. His studies on magnets, herbs, and optical illusions were pioneering, and his experiments on lenses paved the way for the invention of the telescope.
This book is not merely a collection of experiments, but an exploration of the natural world's hidden aspects. It includes studies on talismans, sympathetic magic, and the correspondences between celestial and terrestrial phenomena. Della Porta sought naturalistic explanations for phenomena traditionally considered magical, validating them through references to classical literature.
About the Black Letter Press edition
Our edition of Natural Magick, revised and edited by Paul Summers Young, is based on the 1658 London edition, a translation of the expanded Latin edition 1589. This edition includes the previously suppressed chapter "Lamiarum Unguenta" (The Witches' Ointment). Summers Young has modernised the spelling and punctuation while retaining the text's Early Modern character. Enhanced readability is achieved through a new layout, rational paragraphing, and an introduction by Young, which discusses the text's significance and origins.
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Cover design by Andrei Bouzikov
Hardcover Edition
600 pages. Hardcover bound in moss-green Fedrigoni Imitlin, with cover design printed in dark green hot foil on the cover and spine. Plum wine endpapers. Printed on 90 gsm wood-free, age-resistant Munken Premium Cream paper. Sewn book block, green ribbon bookmark and green headbands.
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Press, reviews, endorsements
Book Review by Foolish Fish - watch on YouTube here
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About the Author
The late Giambattista della Porta (1535 – 1615), also known as Giovanni Battista Della Porta, was an Italian scholar, polymath and playwright who lived in Naples at the time of the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution and Counter-Reformation.
Giambattista della Porta spent the majority of his life on scientific endeavours. He benefited from an informal education of tutors and visits from renowned scholars. His most famous work, first published in 1558, is entitled Magia Naturalis (Natural Magick). In this book he covered a variety of the subjects he had investigated, including occult philosophy, astrology, alchemy, mathematics, meteorology, and natural philosophy. He was also referred to as "professor of secrets".
