In addition to the mini-series and the ongoing series, Vertigo also produced four The Books of Magic annuals. The first, Arcana: The Books of Magic Annual, reintroduced Tim Hunter and launched the ongoing series. The second, actually titled The Books of Magic Annual #1 due to the change in name from "Arcana", told the story of Tim's encounter with a minor god's daughter who was one of Tamlin's cast-off conquests. Both these annuals were later included in the collected editions of The Books of Faerie and The Books of Faerie: Auberon's Tale respectively. a b c d e f Rieber, John Ney (1995). The Books of Magic: Summonings. DC Comics. ISBN 1-56389-265-0.

The two issues showed Tim Hunter coming into possession of a time capsule that had been made by John Constantine as a child. The capsule contained all of Constantine's childhood innocence, placed there in one of his first acts of magic to rid himself of the perceived weakness. Tim attempts to return the box to its original owner, but Constantine wants nothing to do with it, until it falls into the hands of a demon called Kobal ("Master of the Infernal Theatre"). [42] Periodically, after introducing the magical periods and areas, with illustrative potted biographies of significant figures, the authors relinquish the microphone, passing it to a ‘guest compere’, a contemporary scholar and/or practitioner of the type of magic being discussed. Through personal anecdote and academic findings, a practical, modern perspective is given to such arcane areas of magical practice as shamanism, wicca, druidry, alchemy, and so on, with ‘guest presenters’ ranging from the relatively unknown to those famous in their field. It is the experience that counts, allowing us direct connection with contemporary practical magical working. And the results range impressively from successfully selling premises by Druidic invocation to having ‘the metal of your consciousness’ totally transformed by Enochian magic. Not only does the book offer a rich textured history of magic but it also comes with exercises the novice can do so they can get their feet wet. If you are a long term practitioner then this is your chance to dabble in something a bit outside of your field. For further exploration the book offers a treasure trove of web links and books for further exploration. Awesome.

My only real criticism of The Book of English Magic it is that it sometimes claims for England important figures and movements that weren’t entirely English. This includes author CS Lewis, as was earlier pointed out by a reader of my blog. CS Lewis certainly lived in England, and the book does state that he was born in Ireland, but I could understand the Irish feeling that he shouldn’t have been in a book dedicated to English magic at all. Tim continues his travels across America, until he somehow ends up trapped on an island on the outskirts of Faerie. He manages to escape the island with the help of Huon the Small, the first King of Faerie. Huon and Tim travel into the heart of Faerie. [23]

Neil Gaimon Interview, Stardust". MoviesOnline. 2007. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008 . Retrieved April 28, 2008. I wish all books on occult history were as clearly written, as entertaining and as full of fascinating facts.’ The Bad Witch’s BlogBut I would say the book’s style is no bad thing, whatever the reason behind it. It makes it very easy to read while still being extremely informative. I’m sure the similarity between the books is deliberate, with this being published at the same time as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince reached English cinemas, boosting interest in anything schoolboy-wizard related. The two authors, who clearly (and wonderfully) represent different approaches, manage to serve up a delightfully well written, intellectually stimulating, un-put-down-able adventure into all things magical (from merry old England’s perspective). No stone of Albion remains unturned. They lead us (readers) into magical encounters wonderful and weird, and not only academically but practically too – offering wonderful ‘what to do now’ pointers and exercises into gaining our own magical experience. Gross, Peter( w)."A Day, a Night and a Dream, Part One" The Books of Magic(November 1999).DC Comics. Winter's Edge #2". DC/Vertigo. January 1999. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008 . Retrieved November 27, 2008.

I was pleased to see that the unknown and uncelebrated, those who have been working out of the public eye are honoured, as well as the more famous faces. As Alan Richardson points out, “The real magicians I know ….have full-time jobs in the normal world, where their workmates know nothing about their “other” lives.” a b Gross, Peter( w)."A Day, a Night and a Dream, Part Two" The Books of Magic,no.67(December 1999).DC Comics.

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Each section includes potted biographies and personal accounts by experts in the traditions covered. You may not go along with everything these luminaries claim, but it is interesting to read their stories alongside those of others. One of the lovely things about this book is that it seems to encourage the reader to take what interests or inspires them and ignore the rest. a b c d Gross, Peter (August 1998). Rites of Passage: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the BoM. DC Comics. Personally, I am a pagan-sympathetic observer with thoroughly chaotic and thelemite tendencies who is just a little resistant to the professionalisation of the latter. For me, this is a book of many possible techniques (and of many more in decades to come) by which persons, individuals, find their own ethical and 'spiritual' paths without benefit of authority. This book exists well within the contemporary culture of British (not just English) paganism - humane, tolerant, eclectic. There is a certain national pride that England has Wicca as its global contribution to the major growing religions (though Druidry may claim some status here) and the argument that England is the most magical country in the world certainly seems to hold water as each chapter unfolds. Or you can take up one of the traditions, follow through on a reference until it has served its purpose - and then find another for a new purpose later. Basically, make your search a pleasure not a chore - though the best results clearly come from immensely hard and focused labour. This is the real point of magical thinking - although the authors end the book with no less than 16 uses of magic, in essence the primary use is self development, finding your true nature and working it in the world.

The tone is playful and serious, respectful and amused…This is not just a book about magic though, but a book of magic, and some of the most appealing sections are the ones that urge you to have a go yourself…This will remain the standard work for years to come. There’s the additional attraction that all this is bound to infuriate poor Professor Dawkins.’ Suzi Feay, The Sunday Telegraph a b c d Rieber, John Ney (July 1, 2000). The Books of Magic: The Burning Girl. DC Comics. ISBN 1-56389-619-2. If you read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel, and wondered what the real history of English magic looked like, then this book is, quite simply, the answer. Not quite as glamorous as Clarke’s fictional world, or the magical England of Harry Potter, it is none the less a history resplendent with strangeness, eccentricity and curiosities. This book brings together the real stories those writing about fictional English magic have been drawing on all along. For anyone interested in the literary angle, it’s most informative read. Secretly we would all probably like to know a magician, or perhaps be one. And – extraordinary as it may seem – there has never been a greater opportunity to fulfil either of these ambitions, since there are now more practising wizards in England than at any other time in her history. Some will see this as an example of the triumph of irrationalism, others as evidence of a rebirth in an understanding of the world that is only now being touched upon by the most advanced physicists and cosmologists.

The original mini-series concentrated on Timothy Hunter's introduction to the world of magic by the Trenchcoat Brigade (the Phantom Stranger, Doctor Occult, Mister E, and John Constantine), who are aware that the boy has the potential to be the world's greatest magician but that his allegiance to good or evil is undecided. Equally, he could turn from the world of magic completely and be lost to either side. The Trenchcoat Brigade see it as their duty to resolve the uncertainty around Tim's fate one way or another. The structure is worth commenting on because, quite simply, it works and it puts to shame a lot of the shoddy editing that you currently get in the publishing industry. An exclusive Books of Magic story, titled "The Lot" and written by Ney Rieber, appeared in Vertigo Rave #1, published in the fall of 1994. There are many views of what magic is and what it means and the authors are fair to all of them - whether there are really existent realities or whether the phenomena are psychological is all the same to them. They take no sides. There is an amusing passage where the authors compare the 'styles' of serious pagans, new agers, wiccans, freemasons and the thelemites and chaos magicians at the harder edge of the game so that 'choices' to dump Judaeo-Christian restriction and plump for an alternative have very many options that will fit many different types of personality.