Fascinating tour through the haunting world of magic and wizards. From the magicians of antiquity (among which the author places the Jesus of some apocryphal gospels) to the Count of Saint Germain, Cagliostro, Rasputon or the ineffable Madame Blavatsky, passing through archetypal magicians such as Doctor Faust, E.M. Butler presents a gallery of portraits where supernatural powers and deception coexist without the author or readers being able to overcome perplexity. From a very pleasant reading, this essay, now a classic of mythology and comparative literature, preserves the freshness and full relevance of a subject that at this end of the millennium continues to fascinate.