Magical Treasure Hunting in Europe and North America: A History (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic) Rating :
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Dragons, Dwarves, Witches, Nazis... and Mormons
By andrea schmidt-baumann
This is a dark and fascinating book. I read it through in two days, which is a first for me when it comes to history books. You want to know about dragons, ghosts and demons, dwarves, fairies, witches and wizards, James Bowie from Texas and Heinrich Himmler from the Nazi Party? This book has them all and some Mormons on top of that. What do they all have in common? A fascination with treasures. Some of the history of treasure hunting is dark: Treasure hunting led often enough into the realm of spirits and devils. Too many treasure hunters paid with their lives for their greed, curiosity and thirst for adventure. The book delivers hard historical facts and pulverizes a couple of pseudo-historical myths. The book depicts the evolution of treasure hunting from the early Middle Ages to the `Indiana Jones' days, piling fact upon fact and story upon story. It does address a number of religious questions critically, but always in a thoughtful and respectful way. At the end, the author sums up his results and presents his own explanation for the changing traditions of treasure hunting. It is like the solution of a dark riddle. I `m familiar with Dillinger's other books on magic but he has outdone himself with this one. He works with a huge mass of British and American sources on top of the Continental European ones he evidently has on his finger tips.
Product Description
In this, thefirst comprehensive history of magical treasure hunting, Johannes Dillinger, a leading expert on the history of folk belief, brings together a huge variety of British, European and American source materials. They range from medieval epics and the records of early modern witch trials to legends from the Wild West, SS files and outre websites. The study reconstructs a magical universe of treasure-guarding angels, fairies and ghosts, of wizards who were willing to face demons in order to get rich quickly, of resourceful tricksters exploiting creed and stupidity, and of ever watchful but often credulous and profit-seeking authorities. Looking over a long time-period, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, Dillinger not only reveals a rich and enduring magical culture but also the influence of new concepts of history and of the past. Combining history and anthropology, the study suggests an encompassing interpretation of treasure hunting that embeds the magic of the treasure in the changes of economic culture.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2654733 in Books
- Published on: 2011-12-15
- Released on: 2011-12-06
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: .0" h x.0" w x.0" l,1.15 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 264 pages
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