Shadow Worlds

From Gomorrah on the Avon to witchcraft

A vigorous strand of interest in the occult, the spooky and the mysterious has been part of our history since 1840.

Shadow Worlds takes a lively look at communicating with spirits, secret ritualistic societies, the supernatural, the New Age — everything from The Golden Dawn and Rosicrucianism to Spiritualism, witchcraft and Radiant Living — and introduces the reader to a cast of fascinating characters who were generally true believers and sometimes con artists.

It’s a fresh and novel take on the history of a small colonial society that was not quite as ploddingly conformist as we may have imagined.

To look inside, click here.

‘This is a fascinating, readable book . . . which illuminates numerous subcultures and belief systems which often found sizeable audiences here.’ — Graham Reid, Kete Books

‘the classic work upon its subject . . . beautifully researched, lucid, comprehensive, courteous and objective.’ — Ronald Hutton

‘Serious, scholarly – but not po-faced. Wood is great company as he takes you through these “shadow worlds”.’ — Guy Somerset, Academy of New Zealand Literature