The Years of the Wizard
The Strange History and Home Life of Renaissance Magicians
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Duckworth Books
Published:9th Oct '25
Should be back in stock very soon
A vivid journey into Tudor magicians and the overlooked women beside them, blending history, imagination and the era’s strange magic
A highly atmospheric and readable exploration of the charismatic magicians of the Tudor and Renaissance courts, their journeys through the courts of Europe and the wives and families who kept the whole magical show on the road...
All things were believable back then – wizards, alchemy, fairies, angels. This is the story of those magical times.
The Years of the Wizard is a lyrical and highly atmospheric exploration of the lives of Tudor and Renaissance magicians, men from John Dee to Giordano Bruno, who were also scientists, astrologers, mathematicians and alchemists.
It is also an act of historical imagination, bringing to life the stories of their wives, lovers, servants and daughters. Morris' vivid recreations of the less documented female lives includes the extraordinary story of John and Jane Dee, the jealous apprentice, and the angels who meddled in their marriage...
A brilliant, fresh approach to an era of discovery, persecution and magic – one that still feeds modern storytellers today.
'Rachel Morris is one of the smartest storytellers I have ever met' James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd's Life
'Absolutely enthralling, a real treasure trove of a book - the marrying of history and speculative fiction made for an immensely evocative and fascinating read. The period leaps off the page, bringing the historical figures to life, and painting a detailed picture of not only the physical surroundings of the Elizabethans, but also their spiritual and metaphysical worlds' Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings
'A creative, fun history that powerfully evokes the romance of Renaissance magic’ Marion Gibson, author of Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials
'An exquisitely-crafted, evocative and at times whimsical history that immerses the reader in the mysterious world of Tudor magicians. This is the sort of book that stays with you for a long time' Tracy Borman, author ofElizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen
'This is a sparkling mixture of fact and fiction that probably provides the best current introduction for a newcomer to the world of Rennaissance learned magicians. It also consistently recognises the enduring potency of books as vehicles for magic in themselves' Ronald Hutton, author of Queens of the Wild: Pagan Goddesses in Christian Europe
‘A vivid, evocative and stylishly written book that weaves together Morris’s own historical research into the extraordinary world of the Renaissance magus with fictional narratives that give life and voice to the people around such men... It’s an unusual project, but it’s illuminated everywhere by Morris’s evident intellectual and imaginative excitement at the world she is discovering, as well as her engagement with the ideas of the age and their implications for the understanding of human experience’ Mathew Lyons, The Broken Compass
ISBN: 9781914613968
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
320 pages