Christopher Dell – författare

From the earliest Paleolithic cave rituals, magic has gripped the imagination. Magic and magicians appear in early Babylonian texts, the Bible, Judaism and Islam. Secret words, spells and incantations lie at the heart of every mythological tradition. Today, magic means many things: contemporary Wicca is practised widely as a modern pagan religion in Europe and the US; ‘magic’ also evokes the cathartic rituals of Chaos magic, but stretches to include the non-spiritual, rapid-fire sleight of hand performed by slick stage magicians who fill vast arenas. The Occult, Witchcraft and Magic is packed with authoritative text and a huge and inspired selection of images, chosen from unusual and hidden sources. The material is presented in 100 entries, and includes some of the best-known representations of magic and the occult from around the world.

How we search for meaning in our futures, as revealed by the divine, occult or supernatural, from ancient prophets to the end of days. What will happen to us next? From the earliest beginnings of human civilization, people have searched for signs, patterns and clues to address the last unanswerable question. Looking into the future has obsessed human beings since written records began. As soon as communities could conceive of higher powers, they tried to look into the future. Prophets and priests have delivered divine messages. Shamans and seers have channelled spirits and interpreted visions, portents, revelations and omens. This unique and richly illustrated volume reveals the long history of the future in every human society – from Egyptian oracles, Roman augurs and Aztec omens, to Japanese divination and the active magic of Norse seers. It traces the parallels in different traditions and cultures, exploring the signs and images found in antique documents, rare books, imaginative projections and divinatory paraphernalia. The nine chapters explore extraordinary oracles from ancient Greece and western Africa, to Mesopotamia and the mountains of Tibet; we discover omens, portents and auspicious signs in indigenous societies in Asia; meet the Zoroastrian priests of Iran and astrologers of China; share dreams and visions from Australia to North America; and finally reckon with the many predictions of the end of the world, from ancient days to our present moment.

In this exploration of the idea of the masterpiece, over fifty world masterpieces, from cave paintings to Cézanne, are brought to life by internationally acclaimed writers, scholars and artists.Many of the contributors are celebrated artists in their own right (Antony Gormley, Quentin Blake and Tom Phillips); others are popular writers (Philip Pullman, Germaine Greer); and many hold positions at well-known institutions, including the Prado, the Van Gogh Museum, the Louvre, the National Gallery and the Sapienza University. Each masterwork is illustrated in full, and key details are selected and separately illustrated, alongside illuminating comparatives.

Myths in every culture explain our origins, the earth’s creation, gods and monsters, demons, the afterlife and the underworld. This compelling account, newly available in paperback, gathers together themes and stories from every culture, showing how myths share many common patterns, and how the human imagination is expressed in all its diversity. It asks the question: what do myths tell us about the human condition? Compiled by Christopher Dell, the bestselling author of books on monsters and on masterpieces of world art, Mythology is packed with authoritative text and an inspired selection of images, chosen from unusual and hidden sources while also including some of the best-known representations of myths from around the world.

Monsters have preoccupied mankind from the earliest times: even cave art includes animal-human monsters. Certainly monsters were present in the ancient religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia; the Old Testament describes the giant land and sea monsters Behemoth and Leviathan, while in the world of Classical mythology, monsters embody the fantasies of the gods and the cruellest punishments of human beings. While we may no longer worry about being eaten by trolls on the way home, there remains a fascination with these creatures who have shadowed us throughout history. This book explores monsters down the ages and throughout the world. It provides a dark yet engrossing visual history of the human mind, lit up by flashes of wild and unearthly inspiration.

This volume investigates one of the most significant shifts in contemporary urban research: the shift from an object- to an action-related perspective on the city. Outlining a critical urban theory from an improvisational perspective, the book shows why this transition might change our understanding of the city at large and make us reconsider the role of architecture and urban design, as well as their representations.German theorist, composer, and musician Christopher Dell, widely known for his performances and teaching in urban design, explores the question of making in a constellation of matter, things, embodiment, active living, and discourse. Insightful and engagingly written, this extraordinary volume offers, for the first time in English, a far-reaching narrative that examines the improvisation of space and reflects multifaceted aspects of the city today. The book assembles a unique collection of images and essays, providing a substantial new contribution and advancement in the field of urban research.