{"product_id":"the-true-history-of-merlin-anne-lawrence-mathers-9780300253085","title":"The True History of Merlin the Magician","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWho was the historical Merlin?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Merlin the Magician has remained an enthralling and curious individual since he was first introduced in the twelfth century though the pages of Geoffrey of Monmouth's \u003ci\u003eHistoria Regum Britanniae\u003c\/i\u003e. But although the Merlin of literature and Arthurian myth is well known, Merlin the \"historical\" figure and his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this book Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores just who he was and what he has meant to Britain.\u003cp\u003eThe historical Merlin was no rough magician: he was a learned figure from the cutting edge of medieval science and adept in astrology, cosmology, prophecy, and natural magic, as well as being a seer and a proto-alchemist. His powers were convincingly real--and useful, for they helped to add credibility to the \"long-lost\" history of Britain which first revealed them to a European public. Merlin's prophecies reassuringly foretold Britain's path, establishing an ancient ancestral line and linking biblical prophecy with more recent times. Merlin helped to put British history into world history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLawrence-Mathers also explores the meaning of Merlin's magic across the centuries, arguing that he embodied ancient Christian and pagan magical traditions, recreated for a medieval court and shaped to fit a new moral framework. Linking Merlin's reality and power with the culture of the Middle Ages, this remarkable book reveals the true impact of the most famous magician of all time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Anne Lawrence-Mathers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0300253087\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780300253085\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/26\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.90d","brand":"Anne Lawrence-Mathers","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43987430441215,"sku":"9780300253085","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b8873707-9956-4ddd-8c13-f98c8eec03c4.jpg?v=1683288943","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-true-history-of-merlin-anne-lawrence-mathers-9780300253085","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}