Intro to Revised:

The material in the first edition of this book was drawn primarily from European magic traditions, with only a smattering of other cultures; although this revised edition is still primarily a book of European magic, I have tried to include enough new material from other cultures - Far Easter, Middle Easter, African, South American, American Indian, Voodoo - to give the reader some sense of what the important elements are in these various traditions and of the similarities and differences among them.

The Roots Of Magic:

The practice of magic began centuries before the start of civilization, and ever since then magicians and witches have been trying to recapture the attitudes and emotions of the original creators of their art.