PLANT MAGIC (RBGE) (HB)

In a lovely gift hardback format, with evocative woodcut illustrations and lovely gold foil embossing on the cover, this is a fascinating and entertaining look at why plants have been used in magic and what that tells us about people and plants in today's world. Foxglove or mandrake, hawthorn or aspen, rowan or oak, St. John’s Wort or bird cherry, it shines new light on dozens of familiar plants. Individual entries combine botanical analysis with historical examples and anecdote and the book considers how modern science is now re-examining the folklore of many of the plants and how the evolution, ecology and geography of the plants has influenced our use of them. With chapters on subjects as diverse as Witchcraft, Curses and Blessings, Divination, the Plants of Faery, Hallucinogens, Divine Plants in the Christian and Pagan traditions and a Plant Bestiary, this is an erudite and informative look at how and why various plants have had a role in Europe’s supernatural and magical traditions.