“It is a good book for normal school classes, and its numerous and apt questions and exercises will be found provocative of profitable discussion in teachers’ meetings and institutes.”
+ Ind. 01: 262. Ag. 2, ’06. 90w.
“Gives the same evidence of vigor, virility, and originality that characterizes all his other writings.” Frederick E. Bolton.
+ + Psychol. Bull. 3: 366. N. 15, ’06. 570w.
“In spite of these possible weaknesses, this book must be regarded as one of the very best of its kind.” J. L. Meriam.
+ + – School R. 14: 765. D. ’06. 790w.
Thorndike, Lynn. Place of magic in the intellectual history of Europe. *75c. Macmillan.
A monograph in the historical series of Columbia university. “The noteworthy point in the resume is that magic among the educated was always associated with science, and is related to it as the guesses of the child to the positive knowledge of the man.” (Outlook.)
“He has dipped for himself into the ancient writers, has gathered much curious information, and has set it forth with gusto and with considerable sprightliness of style; but his study, though intelligent, is sadly lacking in thoroughness and yet more so in closeness of thought and precision of diction. Of magic itself his conception is confused in the extreme.”