Public-domain ebook
The Old and the New Magic
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Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #57077.
About this book
The Old and the New Magic is a scholarly survey of the history and evolution of magical practice, written by Henry Ridgely Evans, a journalist‑librarian with a lifelong interest in folklore, occultism, and the performing arts. The work opens with a biographical sketch that situates Evans within a lineage of Maryland’s colonial families and outlines his education, brief legal career, and turn to journalism and library work. From there, Dr. Paul Carus’s introductory essay frames the book’s central thesis: a distinction between “old magic,” rooted in priest‑craft, superstition, and animistic belief, and “new magic,” a scientific art of illusion that abandons supernatural pretensions while preserving the wonder of stage performance. The table of contents promises a panoramic tour of figures from the Chevalier Pinetti to Robert‑Houdin, interspersed with essays on automata, second sight, and personal encounters with magicians.
Evans writes in the measured, erudite prose of the late‑19th century, blending historical narrative with philosophical reflection. His tone is both didactic and appreciative, offering detailed descriptions of ancient rites, biblical references, and the gradual rationalization of magical entertainment. Readers who enjoy intellectual histories of performance, the cultural roots of illusion, or the intersection of science and mysticism will find this volume rewarding. It especially appeals to scholars of folklore, historians of theater, and anyone curious about how the art of conjuring transformed from sacred ritual to modern spectacle.
Who appears in The Old and the New Magic
- Henry Ridgely EvansLate‑19th‑century American gentleman, dark hair, sideburns, round spectacles, waistcoat and cravat
- Dr. Paul CarusMiddle‑aged German‑born scholar, full beard, high‑collared frock coat, scholarly demeanor
The opening · free to read
Copyright 1906 by the Open Court Publishing Co. Chicago
SKETCH OF HENRY RIDGELY EVANS.
“Henry Ridgely Evans, journalist, author and librarian, was born in Baltimore, Md., November 7, 1861. He is the son of Henry Cotheal and Mary (Garrettson) Evans. Through his mother he is descended from the old colonial families of Ridgely, Dorsey, Worthington and Greenberry, which played such a prominent part in the annals of early Maryland. Mr. Evans was educated at the preparatory department of Georgetown (D. C.) College and at Columbian College, Washington, D. C. He studied law at the University of Maryland, and began its practice in Baltimore City; but abandoned the legal profession for the more congenial avocation of journalism. He served for a number of years as special reporter and dramatic critic on the ‘Baltimore News,’ and subsequently became connected with the U. S. Bureau of Education, as one of the assistant librarians. In 1891 he was married to Florence, daughter of Alexander Kirkpatrick, of Philadelphia.”—National Cyclopedia of American Biography.
Mr. Evans is an ardent student of folk-lore, masonic antiquities, psychical research, and occultism. Many of his writings have been contributed to the Monist and Open Court. He is the author of a work on psychical research, entitled “Hours with the Ghosts,” published in 1897, and many brochures on magic and mysticism, etc.
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