SPIRITUALITY / GEM STONES <BR> <BR>“This has to be the most incredible book ever published on sacred and magical stones. A must-have for historians and anyone interested in the sacred and magical properties of stones. This book really is a magical mystery tour!” <BR>--John DeSalvo, author of <I>Power Crystals</I>, <I>Decoding the Enochian Secrets</I>, and host of <I>Mysterious Realms</I> radio show <BR> <BR>Our ancestors believed stones were home to sacred beings of power, entities that if properly understood and cultivated could provide people protection from ill fortune, envy, and witchcraft; grant invisibility and other magical powers; improve memory; and heal the sick from a wide variety of diseases. These benefits could be obtained by wearing the stone on a ring, bracelet, or pendant; through massage treatments with the stone; or by reducing the gem to a powder and drinking it mixed with water or wine. <BR> <BR>Drawing from a wealth of ancient Arabic, Greek, Jewish, and European sources--from the observations of Pliny the Elder to extremely rare texts such as the <I>Picatrix</I> and Damigeron’s <I>Virtue of Stones</I>--Claude Lecouteux provides a synthesis of all known lore for more than 800 stones. He includes such common examples as the emerald, which when engraved with the figure of a harpy holding a lamprey in its claws will banish panic and nightmares, and beryl, which when appropriately carved can summon water spirits or win its owner high renown, as well as more exotic stones such as astrios, a stone celebrated by ancient magicians and whose center glows like a star. Lecouteux also examines bezoars--stones formed in animals’ bodies--as well as “magnets” that attract materials other than iron, such as gold, flesh, cotton, or scorpions. <BR> <BR>This comprehensive dictionary of sacred and magical gem lore, drawn from the rarest sources of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, represents a one-of-a-kind resource for gem enthusiasts and magical practitioners alike. <BR> <BR>CLAUDE LECOUTEUX is a former professor of medieval literature and civilization at the Sorbonne. He is the author of numerous books on medieval and pagan beliefs, including <I>The Secret History of Poltergeists and Haunted Houses</I> and <I>The Secret History of Vampires</I>. He lives in Paris.