Photo illustration by Angelo Bautista. Original image by Jaredd Craig (CC0).
Four hundred years ago, London was full of magicians, but they weren’t like the wizards of Harry Potter. These were practitioners of “service magic,” helping lovelorn widows, sick children and others in need. Historian Tabitha Stanmore uncovers this surprising story in her book “Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic.”