Magic is not simply a matter of the occult arts but a whole way of thinking of dreaming the impossible. The supreme fiction of magical thinking is the Arabian Nights" with its flying carpets hidden treasure & sudden revelations. As part of her exploration into the prophetic enchantments of the Nights Marina Warner retells some of the most wonderful & lesser-known stories. She explores the figure of the dark magician or magus from Solomon to the wicked uncle in " Aladdin"; the complex vitality of the genies or jinn; & animal metamorphoses. With startling originality & impeccable research this groundbreaking book shows how magic in the deepest sense helped to create the modern world & how profoundly it is still inscribed in the way we think today."