Science of the Magical: From the Holy Grail to Love Potions to Superpowers

by Matt Kaplan

Book Overview

"Filled with cool cocktail-party tidbits, Matt Kaplan considers how things that were once the stuff of legends could one day become reality" (The Atlantic) in this fun scientific inquiry into the mystical places and magical objects of ancient and contemporary lore--from the fountain of youth, to love potions, to Super Mario's mushrooms.Can migrations of birds foretell our future? Do phases of the moon hold sway over our lives? Are there sacred springs...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 147677711X
• ISBN13: 9781476777115
• Release Date: October 2016
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Magically Scientific

I really enjoyed this book! The different magical hypothesis given ranged far and wide, from Biblical to regular fictional concepts, with enough personal stories about the author to personally relate the science to real life. It's a bonus that most of the myths were ranked as *plausible* and if not, many alternatives were given. A good resources for writing fiction too~ I recommend it!

Well-written, humorous and interesting. I would have immensely enjoyed the book...however, the amount of bias and propaganda scattered throughout completely ruined it for me.