Worlds of Fear and Wonder : Living with the Supernatural, Past and Present

''Learned, empathetic and immensely enjoyable'' Tom Holland''Every page is illuminating'' Philippa Gregory''Gaskill lifts the veil between past and present better than anyone I know'' Lucy WorsleyThe supernatural has always been part of human experience. Divine and diabolical forces were as dangerous and mundane as rotten harvests and sweeping sicknesses. Miracles abounded. During the First World War, soldiers put faith in visions and protective charms, and Spiritualists were still believed to reach beyond the veil. When we understand the supernatural as a feeling, not an idea, we can grasp the truth behind our ancestors'' fears and passions. In this thought-provoking book, Gaskill examines our haunted past from alchemical dens to witchcraft trials, and in uncanny encounters with mediums, vampires and flying nuns. Searching hearts as well as minds, he unlocks the secrets of the unseen world, opening a new perspective on the magical and marvellous.