Owen Davies è uno storico sociale e autore specializzato nella storia della stregoneria e della magia. Come docente di Storia Sociale presso l'Università di Hertfordshire, la sua ricerca si concentra sulle pratiche di stregoneria moderne e contemporanee, unendo rigore accademico a una divulgazione accessibile. Le sue opere, tra cui "Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History" e "Grimoires: A History of Magic Books", esplorano l'intersezione tra folclore, credenze e cambiamenti sociali.
L'interesse di Davies per la stregoneria e la magia nasce dalla passione per il folclore e la mitologia sviluppata durante l'infanzia, ispirata da autori come Alan Garner. Il suo percorso accademico è iniziato con studi di archeologia e storia all'Università di Cardiff, dove ha partecipato a scavi di siti neolitici e dell'età del bronzo, approfondendo la sua comprensione delle pratiche rituali antiche. Successivamente ha conseguito un dottorato all'Università di Lancaster, esaminando nel suo lavoro di tesi la persistenza delle credenze sulla stregoneria dal XVIII al XX secolo.
Combinando una meticolosa ricerca d'archivio con uno stile narrativo coinvolgente, gli scritti di Davies illuminano i contesti culturali e storici delle pratiche magiche. Le sue opere sono diventate riferimenti essenziali sia per gli studiosi che per i lettori comuni interessati all'eredità duratura della stregoneria. Davies continua a contribuire al campo attraverso le sue ricerche e pubblicazioni, colmando il divario tra la storia accademica e l'interesse popolare.
Libri di non-fiction
#
Titolo
Anno
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Witchcraft, Magic and Culture, 1736-1951
1999
2
Popular Magic
2003
3
Beyond the Witch Trials
2004
4
Witchcraft Continued: Popular Magic in Modern Europe (With: Willem de Blécourt)
2004
5
Murder, Magic, Madness
2005
6
Palgrave Advances in Witchcraft Studies (With: Jonathan Barry)
2007
7
The Haunted
2007
8
Grimoires: A History of Magic Books
2009
9
Ghosts: A Social History, Vol 1
2010
10
Ghosts: A Social History, Vol 2
2010
11
Ghosts: A Social History, Vol 3
2010
12
Ghosts: A Social History, Vol 4
2010
13
Ghosts: A Social History, Vol 5
2010
14
Witchcraft in Early Modern Poland, 1500-1800 (With: Jonathan Barry, Wanda Wyporska)
2012
15
America Bewitched
2013
16
The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic
2017
17
A Supernatural War
2019
18
Troubled by Faith
2023
19
Art of the Grimoire
2023
Oxford History Of Hinduism Books
#
Titolo
Anno
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Law: A New History of Dharmaśāstra (By: Patrick Olivelle, Donald R. Davis)
2017
2
The Oxford History of Hinduism: The Goddess (By: Mandakranta Bose)
2018
3
The Oxford History of Hinduism: Modern Hinduism (By: Torkel Brekke)
2019
4
The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Practice (By: Gavin Flood)
2020
5
The Oxford History of Witchcraft and Magic
2023
6
The Oxford History of the Book (By: James Raven)
2023
7
The Oxford History of the Holy Land (By: Robert G. Hoyland, H. G. M Williamson)
2023
8
The Oxford History of the World (By: Felipe Fernández-Armesto)
2023
9
The Oxford History of the First World War (By: Hew Strachan)
2023
10
Hindu Diasporas (By: Knut A. Jacobsen)
2023
Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic Books
#
Titolo
Anno
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Witchcraft and belief in Early Modern Scotland (By: Lauren Martin, Julian Goodare, Joyce Miller)
2007
2
Charms, Charmers and Charming (By: Jonathan Roper)
2008
3
Witchcraft and Demonology in South-West England, 1640-1789 (By: Jonathan Barry)
2008
4
The Realities of Witchcraft and Popular Magic in Early Modern Europe (By: Edward Bever)
2008
5
Witchcraft and Masculinities in Early Modern Europe (By: Alison Rowlands)
2009
6
Talking to Devils and Angels in Scandinavia, 1500-1800 (By: Soili-Maria Olli, Arne Bugge Amundsen)
2009
7
Man As Witch (With: Rolf Schulte, Jonathan Barry)
2009
8
Victorian Occultism and the Making of Modern Magic (By: Alison Butler)
2011
9
Demons of Urban Reform (By: Laura Stokes)
2011
10
Magical Treasure Hunting in Europe and North America (By: Johannes Dillinger)
2011
11
Satanism, Magic and Mysticism in Fin-de-siècle France (By: Robert Ziegler)
2012
12
Scottish Witches and Witch-Hunters (By: Julian Goodare)
2013
13
Raising Spirits (By: Jonathan Barry)
2013
14
Urban Magic in Early Modern Spain (By: María Tausiet)
2013
15
Magic Tales and Fairy Tale Magic (By: Ruth B. Bottigheimer)
2014
16
Agents of Witchcraft in Early Modern Italy and Denmark (By: Louise Nyholm Kallestrup)
2015
17
Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland (By: Andrew Sneddon)
2015
18
The Arabic Influences on Early Modern Occult Philosophy (By: Liana Saif)
2015
19
Werewolf Histories (By: Willem de Blécourt)
2015
20
Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery and Witchcraft in Christian Britain: A Feeling for Magic (By: Ronald Hutton)
2015
21
Witchcraft and Folk Belief in the Age of Enlightenment (By: Lizanne Henderson)
2016
22
Faith and Magic in Early Modern Finland (By: Raisa Maria Toivo)
2016
23
A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity (By: Francis Young)
2016
24
Styrian Witches in European Perspective (By: Mirjam Mencej)
2017
25
Contesting Orthodoxy in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (By: Louise Nyholm Kallestrup, Raisa Maria Toivo)
2017
26
Cultures of Witchcraft in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Present (With: Jonathan Barry, Cornelie Usborne)
2017
27
Fairies, Demons, and Nature Spirits (By: Michael Ostling)
2017
28
Witchcraft and Demonology in Hungary and Transylvania (By: Éva Pócs, Gábor Klaniczay)
2017
29
Premodern Beliefs and Witch Trials in a Swedish Province, 1669-1672 (By: Göran Malmstedt)
2018
30
Medicine, Magic and Art in Early Modern Norway (By: Ane Ohrvik)
2018
31
The Magic of Coin-Trees from Religion to Recreation (By: Ceri Houlbrook)
2018
32
Classical Culture and Witchcraft in Medieval and Renaissance Italy (By: Marina Montesano)
2018
33
Knowing Demons, Knowing Spirits in the Early Modern Period (By: Richard Raiswell, Michelle D. Brock, David R. Winter)
2018
34
Magic and Witchery in the Modern West (By: Shai Feraro, Ethan Doyle White)
2019
35
Women and Gender Issues in British Paganism, 1945–1990 (By: Shai Feraro)
2020
36
Reading the Salem Witch Child (By: Kristina West)
2020
37
Narratives and Rituals of the Nightmare Hag in Scandinavian Folk Belief (By: Catharina Raudvere)
2021
38
Building Magic (With: Ceri Houlbrook)
2021
39
American Tabloid Media and the Satanic Panic, 1970-2000 (By: Sarah A. Hughes)
2021
The Paranormal Books (with Harry Price)
#
Titolo
Anno
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Fifty Years of Psychical Research (By: Harry Price)
1939
2
A People Bewitched
2012
Very Short Introductions Books
#
Titolo
Anno
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Science and Religion (By: Thomas Dixon, Adam Shapiro)
1903
2
Marx (By: Peter Singer)
1980
3
Aristotle ( By: Jonathan Barnes)
1982
4
Darwin (By: Jonathan Howard)
1982
5
Hegel (By: Peter Singer, Luís Filipe Teixeira)
1983
6
Clausewitz (By: Michael Eliot Howard)
1983
7
Barthes (By: Jonathan Culler)
1983
8
Locke (By: John Dunn)
1984
9
Augustine (By: Henry Chadwick)
1986
10
Shakespeare (By: Germaine Greer)
1986
11
What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy (By: Thomas Nagel)
1987
12
Kierkegaard (By: Patrick L. Gardiner)
1988
13
Wittgenstein (By: A.C. Grayling)
1988
14
The Laws of Thermodynamics (By: Peter Atkins)
1990
15
Privacy (By: Raymond Wacks)
1993
16
Schopenhauer (By: Christopher Janaway)
1994
17
Judaism (By: Norman Solomon)
1996
18
Archaeology (By: Paul G. Bahn)
1997
19
Psychology (By: Gillian Butler)
1998
20
Sociology (By: Steve Bruce)
1999
21
Theology (By: David F. Ford)
1999
22
The Tudors (By: John Guy)
2000
23
Logic (By: Graham Priest)
2000
24
History (By: John H. Arnold)
2000
25
The Bible (By: John Riches)
2000
26
Music: A Very Short Introduction (By: Nicholas Cook)
2000
27
The Koran: A Very Short Introduction (By: Michael A. Cook)
2000
28
Planets (By: David A. Rothery)
2000
29
Nineteenth-Century Britain (By: Christopher Harvie, Colin Matthew)
2000
30
Eighteenth-Century Britain (By: Paul Langford)
2000
31
Capitalism (By: James Fulcher)
2001
32
Continental Philosophy (By: Simon Critchley)
2001
33
Postcolonialism (By: Robert J.C. Young)
2001
34
The European Union: A Very Short Introduction (By: John Pinder)
2001
35
Galileo (By: Stillman Drake, Keith Thomas)
2001
36
Emotion (By: Dylan Evans)
2001
37
Russian Literature (By: Catriona Kelly)
2001
38
Drugs (By: Leslie L. Iversen)
2001
39
The French Revolution (By: William Doyle)
2001
40
Mathematics (By: Timothy Gowers)
2002
41
Quantum Theory (By: John C. Polkinghorne)
2002
42
Fascism (By: Kevin Passmore)
2002
43
Empire (By: Stephen Howe)
2002
44
The First World War (By: Michael Eliot Howard)
2002
45
Philosophy of Science (By: Samir Okasha)
2002
46
Animal Rights (By: David DeGrazia)
2002
47
The Penguin History of Economics (By: Roger E. Backhouse)
2002
48
Russell (By: A.C. Grayling)
2002
49
The Russian Revolution (By: S.A. Smith)
2002
50
Choice Theory (By: Michael Allingham)
2002
51
Consciousness (By: Susan Blackmore)
2003
52
Political Philosophy (By: David Miller)
2003
53
Northern Ireland (By: Marc Mulholland)
2003
54
Globalization (By: Manfred B. Steger)
2003
55
The Celts (By: Barry Cunliffe)
2003
56
Ideology (By: Michael Freeden)
2003
57
Presocratic Philosophy (By: Catherine Osborne)
2003
58
The Brain (By: Michael O'Shea)
2003
59
Molecules (By: Philip Ball)
2003
60
The Elements (By: Philip Ball)
2004
61
Kafka (By: Ritchie Robertson)
2004
62
The Crusades (By: Christopher Tyerman)
2004
63
Particle Physics (By: Frank Close)
2004
64
Egyptian Myth (By: Geraldine Pinch)
2004
65
Ancient Egypt (By: Ian Shaw)
2004
66
Ancient Warfare: A Very Short Introduction (By: Harry Sidebottom)
2004
67
Global Warming (By: Mark Maslin)
2004
68
Philosophy (By: Edward Craig)
2004
69
Foucault (By: Gary Gutting)
2005
70
Fossils (By: Keith S. Thomson)
2005
71
The Spanish Civil War (By: Helen Graham)
2005
72
Habermas (By: James Gordon Finlayson)
2005
73
Socialism (By: Michael Newman)
2005
74
Kabbalah (By: Joseph Dan)
2005
75
Existentialism (By: Thomas R. Flynn)
2006
76
The Renaissance (By: Jerry Brotton)
2006
77
Feminism (By: Margaret Walters)
2006
78
The Roman Empire (By: Christopher Kelly)
2006
79
Chaos (By: Leonard A. Smith)
2007
80
Human Rights (By: Andrew Clapham)
2007
81
Antisemitism (By: Steven Beller)
2007
82
Tocqueville (By: Harvey Mansfield Jr.)
2007
83
Documentary Film (By: Patricia Aufderheide)
2007
84
The Cold War (By: Robert J. McMahon)
2007
85
International Migration (By: Khalid Koser)
2007
86
Newton (By: Rob Iliffe)
2007
87
Economics (By: Partha Dasgupta)
2007
88
The Great Depression and the New Deal (By: Eric Rauchway)
2007
89
Classical Mythology (By: Helen Morales)
2007
90
Bestsellers (By: John Sutherland)
2007
91
Game Theory (By: David Hume)
2007
92
Geopolitics (By: Klaus Dodds)
2007
93
The History of Life (By: Michael J. Benton)
2008
94
Modern China (By: Rana Mitter)
2008
95
The United Nations (By: Jussi M. Hanhimäki)
2008
96
Nuclear Weapons (By: Joseph M. Siracusa)
2008
97
Galaxies (By: John Gribbin)
2008
98
German Literature (By: Nicholas Boyle)
2008
99
The Old Testament (By: Michael D. Coogan)
2008
100
The New Testament as Literature (By: Kyle Keefer)
2008
101
Sexuality (By: Véronique Mottier)
2008
102
Religion in America (By: Timothy Beal)
2008
103
Nelson Mandela (By: Elleke Boehmer)
2008
104
Statistics (By: David J. Hand)
2008
105
Puritanism (By: Francis J. Bremer)
2008
106
Scotland (By: Rab Houston)
2008
107
The Reagan Revolution (By: Gil Troy)
2009
108
Communism (By: Leslie Holmes)
2009
109
Modern Japan (By: Christopher Goto-Jones)
2009
110
Deserts (By: Nick Middleton)
2009
111
Nothing (By: Frank Close)
2009
112
Biography (By: Hermione Lee)
2009
113
The Soviet Union (By: Stephen Lovell)
2009
114
The Book of Mormon (By: Terryl L. Givens)
2009
115
The Norman Conquest (By: George Garnett)
2009
116
Biblical Archaeology (By: Eric H. Cline)
2009
117
Fashion (By: Rebecca Arnold)
2009
118
Progressivism (By: Walter Nugent)
2009
119
Information (By: Luciano Floridi)
2010
120
Neoliberalism (By: Manfred B. Steger)
2010
121
Numbers (By: Peter M. Higgins)
2010
122
Film Music (By: Kathryn Kalinak)
2010
123
The New Testament (By: Luke Timothy Johnson)
2010
124
Humanism (By: Stephen Law)
2010
125
Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction (By: Malcolm Gaskill)
2010
126
French Literature (By: John D. Lyons)
2010
127
Druids (By: Barry Cunliffe)
2010
128
The U.S. Congress (By: Donald A. Ritchie)
2010
129
The Hebrew Bible as Literature (By: Tod Linafelt)
2010
130
Modernism (By: Christopher Butler)
2010
131
North American Indians (By: Theda Perdue, Michael D. Green)
2010
132
Landscapes and Geomorphology (By: Andrew S. Goudie, Heather Viles)
2010
133
Keynes (By: Robert Skidelsky)
2010
134
Agnosticism (By: Robin Le Poidevin)
2010
135
Aristocracy ( By: William Doyle)
2010
136
Folk Music (By: Mark Slobin)
2010
137
Environmental Economics (By: Stephen Smith)
2011
138
Global Economic History (By: Robert C. Allen)
2011
139
Critical Theory (By: Theodor W. Adorno)
2011
140
Early Music (By: Thomas Forrest Kelly)
2011
141
American Immigration (By: David A. Gerber)
2011
142
Paganism
2011
143
Nuclear Power (By: Maxwell Irvine)
2011
144
Science Fiction (By: David Seed)
2011
145
Herodotus (By: Jennifer T. Roberts)
2011
146
Dictionaries (By: Lynda Mugglestone)
2011
147
Modern France (By: Vanessa R. Schwartz)
2011
148
Colonial Latin American Literature (By: Rolena Adorno)
2011
149
The Aztecs (By: Davíd Carrasco)
2011
150
The Cultural Revolution (By: Richard Curt Kraus)
2011
151
Modern Latin American Literature (By: Roberto González Echevarría)
2011
152
Reality (By: Jan Westerhoff)
2011
153
The Conquistadors (By: Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Matthew Restall)
2011
154
The U.S. Supreme Court (By: Linda Greenhouse)
2012
155
Magic
2012
156
Film (By: Michael Wood)
2012
157
The History of Mathematics (By: Jacqueline A. Stedall)