About this item

A vibrant look at an unsettled and strangely familiar time that overturns our assumptions about the history of magic.. Imagine: it's the year 1600, and you can't find your keys. You've scoured your house. What do you do? In medieval and early modern Europe, the first port of call might very well have been cunning folk: practitioners of "service magic." When we think of magic in the pre-modern world, our minds often jump to the witch trials that persecuted thousands. But in fact, magic was still a ubiquitous presence. In this time when the supernatural was surprisingly mundane, cunning folk were a widely acknowledged and essential feature of everyday life. For people across ages, genders, and social standing, practical magic was a cherished resource with which to navigate life's many challenges, from recovering stolen linens to seizing the throne, and everything in between.