Looking at the title of the book one might think that there is a course of magical development within the pages but actually what you find is a history of modern magic. It touches on Rosicrucian's and Masons and has a small amount on Levi, but the main thrust of the book is dedicated to the history of the Golden Dawn, its successors and its many personalities. There is much material here that was later in R. A. Gilbert's works on the history of the Golden Dawn. ( )