Product Description
A hard-to-find biography of the gifted spiritualist and Rosicrucian, Dr. John Dee. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Weak, boring....
This book is not for anyone intested in the Dee's work.It's a history of his life and an incomplete one at that.Look elsewhere.

Insightful and informative
Being a descendant of Dr. Dee I found the book very informative.It gave an insightful explanation of his conversations with angels and presented it in a fair manner.It also presented some good information on his personallife and family.It would have been nice to have more information on hischildren, however, even though the title indicates that it would focusmainly on his abillities as a mystic and astrologer.It is much easierreading than Mr. French's book, and coupled with Dr. Dee's diary, it helpsto give good background and information on this very intelligent butunrewarded, underappreciated and greatly misunderstood man. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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THIS 36 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Mysteries and Romances of the World's Greatest Occultists, by Cheiro . To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766132463. ... Read more

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From the Original Manuscripts in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, and Trinity College Library, Cambridge."The eminent philosopher of Mortlake.""The publication of this Diary will tend perhaps to set Dee's character in its true light, more than anything that has yet been printed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dee: A Serious Occultist
This collection of Dee's entries into his diary details his myriad interests among them mathematics, astronomy, astrology, navigation and philosophy. ... Read more

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THIS 48 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Romantic Biography of the Age of Elizabeth or Sketches of Life from the Bye Ways of History V1, by The Benedictine Brethren of Glendalough . To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766163121. ... Read more

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THIS 30 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Private Diary of Dr. John Dee and the Catalogue of His Library of Alchemical Manuscripts, by James Orchard Halliwell. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564591093. ... Read more

Product Description
John Dee was the 'mage' at the court of Elizabeth I. He was mathematician, scientist, sorcerer and alchemist combined. This major study of Dee enables the reader to develop a full understanding of his role in history. This book should be of interest to advanced students of Renaissance studies, early modern history and philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Seminal Scholarly Treatment of Dee
Nick Clulee's book, now for some reason fantastically expensive, remains the seminal work on Dee.It's not an argument book, as such, but rather a brilliant overview of the great Elizabethan magus's intellectual career.

In essence, Clulee synthesizes Dee's various works into a cohesive whole, arguing that Dee wasn't a scientist on Mondays, a magus on Tuesdays, and so forth.Instead, he views the totality of Dee's work as a developing project.

Clulee's perspective is unabashedly within the history of science, but not in its old-fashioned positivist sense; he was a student of Allen G. Debus at the University of Chicago, and while he grounds his work solidly in the history of science tradition, he does not dismiss material that doesn't quite accord with modern ideas of science.This is, in fact, what makes the book so valuable: scholars like Frances Yates (to take a famous and wonderful example) draw fascinating conclusions, but sometimes stray rather far from texts; Clulee never does this, remaining locked to Dee, yet is able to build up a synthetic picture.

Good recent works on Dee, such as Harkness's book on the angel-conversations, all lean heavily on Clulee.His book is not, thus, the "last word," but it doesn't seem likely that there will be a new survey of Dee to supersede this one.

If you're interested in Dee's work from a scholarly perspective, you need to read this.Without it, you can't make much sense of Harkness, or Hakansson, or whoever.Pity it's so expensive, though -- I can't imagine why. ... Read more

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THIS 72 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Three Famous Occultists, by G. M. Hort. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0922802866. ... Read more

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Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

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When it was discovered in 1976, John Dee's The Limits of the British Empire (1577-78) was quickly recognized as a seminal text in the history of English Atlantic discovery, settlement, and imperial ideology. Writing directly to Queen Elizabeth and drawing on ancient and contemporary history, geography, and law as his supporting evidence, Dee argued for the existence and recovery of a vast British Empire. This included much of the North Atlantic and North America, Ireland and Scotland, and even portions of Scandinavia and the Iberian Peninsula. King Arthur, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Robert the Bruce, Pope Alexander VI, Martin Frobisher, and the Emperor Justinian are just a few of the historical agents who help to make this treatise at once erudite, elegant, and effusive. Offered for the first time in print, this volume uses sources that will be of interest to scholars in history and historical geography, English and British studies, and legal and empire studies. The book shows that Dee was an important propagandist of empire, that English antiquarianism was used to practical purpose, and that the legal foundations of the empire were not based solely on the indigenous, common law. In making these claims, this study contributes directly to several debates about the ideological development of the British Empire, especially the work of David Armitage and Anthony Pagden. ... Read more

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THIS 182 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Witch, Warlock and Magician, by W. H. Davenport Adams. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766146715. ... Read more

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Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s Secretary of State, was the greatest spymaster the world had ever seen. But when he asked Dr. Dee to summon a demon the result was unexpected, especially for his orphaned niece Lucy. Sir Francis’ duty as her guardian was to find Lucy a suitably aristocratic husband, not to let her fight demons and witchcraft for the Queen’s Secret Service. But his—and Lucy’s—duty to protect Queen and country from enemies both natural and supernatural kept getting in the way. And so did all those demons . . .

... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Possessed By a Gravitonic Being
Lucy's Blade (2007) is a fantasy novel with a SF premise.Far, far in the future, life feeds off gravity waves from black holes.The Elders are facing another religious war, so they create an agent and send the adaptable youngster back into the past to fetch evidence of the indisputable truth of their Creed.She is sent further back than anyone else has ever gone.

In this novel, the youngster travels far into the past beyond her normal dark environment.She is surrounded by light, thus proving that some heretical thinking is true.Finally, she is caught within a sea diamond energy cache designed to trap spirits.

Sir Francis Walsingham is the spymaster for Queen Elizabeth.Someone -- probably Spanish agents -- have been attacking members of Her Majesty's government.Sir Francis is attacked himself on the way to Nonsuch palace.

Lucy Dennys is the niece of Sir Francis.She is sixteen and the closest relative of the spymaster.Lucy is somewhat tired of her uncle's matchmaking, but he is concerned that she will become an old maid.

Gwilym is a Welsh man dedicated to Sir Francis.His family had been nearly evicted from their land, but Sir Francis had paid their debts.Now Gwilym is primary bodyguard for the spymaster.

Simon Tunstall is the keeper of secrets for Sir Francis.He attends the spymaster in all official meetings and many unofficial ones.The secretary spends his free times reshuffling and indexing his many files.

Doctor John Dee is a man of many talents.He has been a cryptographer for Her Majesty's Secret Service for several years.He is also a scholar of the hidden and unknown, collecting many rare books on magic and other mystic subjects at Her Majesty's expense.

William Hawkins is the captain of the Swallow, a privateer of Her Majesty, and cousin of John Hawkins and Francis Drake.Hiding in a cove on the American coast, the Swallow swoops out to take a Spanish ship carrying a gentlelady named Isabella.The Spanish crew seems strangely afraid of the woman.

In this story, Gwilym, Simon and James Sydney counterattack the men who ambush Sir Francis.One is taken alive and then reveals under torture that his instructions were to keep Sir Francis away from Nonsuch palace.Since the queen is currently residing in Nonsuch, the spymaster warns her of possible threats to her life, but Her Majesty has other concerns.

A coven of witches traps the visitor from the future.The head witch calls her Lilith and the gravitonic lady finds the name lovely and suitable.Lilith escapes from the trap, but is drawn into a pentagram set for demons.

Doctor Dee is asked to use extraordinary means to uncover the plot against Queen Elizabeth.He constructs a pentagram and summons a demon named Choronzon.Instead, he gets Lilith.

Lilith attracts the attention of Lucy and draws her to the pentagram.When Lucy wipes out the chalk markings, Lilith is released and enters Lucy's body and mind.Now Lucy is possessed, but not by a demon.

While Lucy is unconscious, Lilith tweaks her body to remove dangerous organisms and to increase her strength and speed.Lucy is capable of much more than even the males of her species.She will need these new capabilities.

This tale reintroduces the head witch into Lilith's life.Now known as Isabella, the witch has called monsters from other timelines and eras into the current surroundings.Lilith learns much about the predatory usage of gravitonics from the witch.

Lucy meets William and seems somewhat taken by him.William is like almost every man in adoring Lucy.They quarrel constantly about the role of women in Elizabethan times, but remain attracted to each other.

This story has a prologue and epilogue based on the characters from As Black As Hell, a fantasy story published in Jim Baen's Universe.It was also included within the first anthology from this web magazine.These more modern inclusions are the most fantastic part of the novel.

There are rumors of other novels about Lucy.The conclusion of this tale does leave much room for sequels.Enjoy!

Recommended for Lambshead fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of scientific magic, international intrigue, and a touch of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Lucy's Blade, great first novel
It is a first novel so the text isn't polished and there are frequent shifts between viewpoint characters, often without warning. The proofreading and copyediting are typical for mass-market fiction, but it's a rollicking-good read. The flavor of the story reminds me of The Witches of Kares. I hope he writes a sequel.

First Novel, First Hit
John Lambshead's first novel, Lucy's Blade, has a fascinating premise, a different look at a common science fiction/fantasy trope, some outstanding writing, and leaves enough threads hanging to hope for a sequel.

Not bad for a first novel. Not bad, at all.

John Lambshead usually writes scientific papers for his job at the London Natural History Museum, where he is one of the world's experts on nematodes, so he joins a long line of distinguished scientists who have moved into writing science fiction and fantasy. Like many others, such as David Brin, he brings a sort of sidewise look to his writing that appeals more than the common run of "gloom and doom" writing.

I read the book as an e-arc from Baen's Webscriptions, and then again when it came out. It easily stood a second reading, and I expect it will stand up to many more. Since I read far faster than Lambshead writes, I expect I'll have to wait and read Lucy's Blade a couple of times more, before the expected sequel, Lucy's War, is released.

Go buy this book. All the nematodes in the world will thank you if you help make John's career a success and he can leave them alone.

Walt Boyes
Associate Editor/Marketing Director
Jim Baen's Universe magazine

Great fun for both history and fantasy
This is a splendidly entertaining novel about a teenage girl who gets taken over by a demon that turns out to be friendly, and confers on her all sorts of supernatural powers, which she uses to help protect Queen (Elizabeth I) and Country.Author John Lambshead is the father of two teenage daughters, and it is evident that his character Lucy is written from first-hand experience.

The novel is part fantasy, part history, and part science fiction.After a science fiction prologue introducing the demon (which I sort of skimmed the first time, but enjoyed on a second reading), the book really hits its stride when it lands in the Elizabethan era and we meet spymaster Walsingham, his secretary Simon Tunstall, Dr. John Dee, and of course Lucy.It is evident that Dr. Lambshead has extensive knowledge of this period and is deeply in love with it. There are lots of winning period details, such as when Tunstall cuts his breakfast with a "good Sheffield blade: and then dresses for the day according to his social rank.In many places the history seamlessly ellides into the fantasy in a most enjoyable way.

All the characters are deftly drawn, and the historical ones are very true to life: you'll feel you've had an audience with Elizabeth (and be grateful you didn't have to do it for real), you'll fall in love with Lucy (but, take a number), and you'll cheer on her sea captain beau William Hawkins (but you'll wish he wasn't such a chucklehead about women).There's lots of romping good action and plenty of humour.

Dr. Lambshead wisely inserted just enough historical background that readers need not have any prior knowledge of the period in order to follow along just fine.(Ignore the stupid Publishers' Weekly comment in this context: this is a fantasy novel written for an American audience, the background asides are necessary and not at all heavy-handed.)

Buy this book, read it, enjoy it, and let's hope for more soon.Bravo!

A fun mix of quantum computation and magic
This seems to be Baen's year to introduce superb new authors to the world. Last month we met Stoney Compton in Russian Amerika and this month John Lambshead arrives to delight readers.

I enjoyed this book a lot and, contrary to the Publisher's Review note, did not find the anachronisms intrusive or unnecessary. We tend, in an era where even severed limbs can be restored much of the time, to forget what a deadly, deadly place the world is without modern medicine, and what constraints that placed on both the thinking and action of our ancestors.

The story itself is, as you've probably already guessed, a mix of quantum computing, alternate (or at least hidden) history, and high magic. The characters are generally the kind of people you like to see Fighting for the Light, and when the dust settles, it's already apparent that here is raw material for bunchteen more fun romps. It's very well told, with good pacing for the most part. (Lilith's Origin could have been a touch shorter.) And the ending is, as noted, most satisfactory. Highly recommended.

Incidentally, the reason I picked this book up in the first place was that I read Mr. Lambshead's story "As Black as Hell", which appeared in the online magazine "Jim Baen's Universe" [...], and which is reprinted in the upcoming The Best of Jim Baen's Universe.THAT story is one of the ones I feel will make my buying the whole anthology worthwhile.

Welcome to my "must-read" list, Mr. Lambshead. ... Read more

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A brief biography of the Roman Catholic saint responsible for organizing the first Catholic school system in America. ... Read more