Idries Shah 
Oriental Magic 

Oriental Magic is recognized as a brilliant study of how, what and why people think, in territories extending from North Africa to Japan.Profusely illustrated, the book is the product of years of research and field-work in a dozen different cultural regions.Its scholarly accuracy and genuine contribution to cultural understanding have made it a key text for anyone interested in informal beliefs, and esoteric practices.The work includes material on Indian alchemy, the Arabian Abjad system, on divination and talismanic charms, and it even contains an ancient Brahmin spell for immortality.