Art of Divination
A Visual History of Oracles, Prophecy, and the Search for Secret Knowledge
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Yale University Press
Publishing:25th Aug '26
£30.00
This title is due to be published on 25th August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A global history of divination practices and tools, from tea leaves and tarot cards to pyromancy and palmistry
Throughout history, humans have aspired to explain the unexplainable, to understand phenomena beyond our control, and to peer into the future. In this captivating book, Owen Davies explores the global history of divination practices that seek to answer questions that range from the philosophical and metaphysical to the romantic and personal. Davies frames divination as a diverse array of activities that overlap with art and science. He emphasizes the artistry and craft of divination practices, which often require tools and manuals; these objects are at the heart of the book, accompanied by an exploration of the techniques of foretelling the future and revealing the unknown.
Organized into six thematic groups—observing the natural world; making patterns; communicating with gods and spirits; signs from the human body and mind; looking to the heavens; and chance and calculation—Art of Divination allows readers to see connections between different ages and places. From the Romans looking to the flight of birds, to Renaissance tarot cards, and to modern-day fortune cookies, Davies reveals the timeless desire to transcend the human condition and the wide and varied practices that people have devised to do so.
“Owen Davies reveals the pervasive human longing to know the future. His incisive illustrations bring the reader closer than ever before to divination's rich material culture, both past and present.”—Francis Young, author of Silence of the Gods: The Untold History of Europe’s Last Pagan Peoples
“Art of Divination is an absolute delight for the serious scholar and casual reader alike. Davies deftly blends art history, folklore, and ethnography to reveal tools of divination from around the world.”—Benjamin Radford, Skeptical Inquirer magazine
“Davies shows engagingly how people throughout the world have sought to see beyond their present experience. His scope is global, his attention to particulars is encyclopedic, and he illustrates the striking visual forms used to discern and depict what divination reveals.”—Richard Kieckhefer, author of Magic in the Middle Ages
ISBN: 9780300282511
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages