Magick Matters

“John Dee’s Actions with Spirits: 22 December 1581 to 23 May 1583” by Christopher Whitby

"Here is presented an investigation of the nature of the earliest extant records of the supposed communication with angels and spirits of John Dee (1527-1608) with the assistance of his two mediums or 'scryers', Barnabas Saul and Edward Kelly. Volume 2 of this work is a transcription of the records in Dee's hand contained in Sloane MS 3188, which has been transcribed only once before, by Elias Ashmole in 1672. Volume 1 is an introduction and thorough commentary to the text which is primarily explaining its many obscurities. The author describes the physical state of the manuscript and its history then continues with a biography of Dee and his scryers and some background to...>>

“John Dee’s Natural Philosophy: Between Science and Religion” by Nicholas H. Clulee

"This is the definitive study of John Dee and his intellectual career. Originally published in 1988, this interpretation is far more detailed than any that came before and is an authoritative account for anyone interested in the history, literature and scientific developments of the Renaissance, or the occult. John Dee has fascinated successive generations. Mathematician, scientist, astrologer and magus at the court of Elizabeth I, he still provokes controversy. To some he is the genius whose contributions to navigation made possible the feats of Elizabethan explorers and colonists, to others an alchemist and charlatan. Thoroughly examining Dee’s natural philosophy, this book provides a balanced evaluation of his place, and the role of the occult, in sixteenth-century...>>

“John Dee: The World of the Elizabethan Magus” by Peter J. French

"John Dee was Renaissance England's first Hermetic Magus, a philosopher-magician. He was also a respected practical scientist, an immensely learned man who investigated all areas of knowledge. In this fine biography, Peter French shows that not only magic and science, but geography, antiquarianism, theology, and the fine arts, were fields in which Dee was deeply involved. Through his teaching, writing, and friendships with many of the most important figures of the age, Dee was at the center of great affairs and had a profound influence on major developments in sixteenth-century England. Peter French places this extraordinary individual within his proper historical context, describing the whole world of Renaissance...>>