The Queen's Conjurer

"The greatest English magician was undoubtedly John Dee. He was a clergyman, he brought geometry to England, and he became the astrologer and adviser to Elizabeth I. Dee assembled the world’s first great library of magical books. He wanted to experiment with magic, so he hired a rather villainous Irishman called Kelly to work as his ‘psychic link’. Working with him, Dee claimed to interact with angels, producing a language for communicating with the other side. He mainly assimilated knowledge in a scientific way. His crystal ball and all his ‘angel’ diaries have survived; they are in the British Museum. You can see the workings of the mind of this 16th-century scientist and mathematician, who was trying to understand how magic worked and how to make it work better. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . He worked with her astrologer and selected the day for the Coronation. He also tried to predict the way the British Empire would work. I constantly try to find people who are credible in the world of magic. Those people tend to be scientists, writers and people who try to understand it. Dr Dee stands between the past – wiped out by the Church – and the present."