Author Description

Divination seeks to know the future in a supernatural way. There were many forms of this ancient science. Most of us know of astrology, or perhaps necromancy, i.e., revelation by the souls of the dead. How many of us know about aeromancy, alectryonomancy, anthropomancy, astragalomancy, axinomancy, belomancy, capnomancy, catoptromancy, cephalæonomancy, chiroscopy, chresmology, cledonomancy, cleromancy, coskinomancy, crystallomancy, dactyliomancy, empyromancy, geomancy, hydromancy, ichthyomancy, lebanomancy, lecanomancy, libanomancy, lithomancy, morphoscopy, oneiromancy, onychomancy, ooscopy, ornithomancy, pegomancy, phyllomancy, pyromancy, rhapsodomancy, sphondylomancy, symbolomancy, tyromancy? The author reveals a complex subject which has parts, in equal portion, of philosophy, history, and archaeology. This is the first and only complete translation into English. Auguste Bouché-Leclercq (1842-1923) was chair of ancient history at the Sorbonne from 1878 to 1918. Bouché-Leclercq became a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 1898, and Légion d'honneur 1903. Previous Frank H. Wallis translations include: Blanche of Castile, Queen and Regent of France, 1188-1252 (2015). From Élie Berger, Histoire de Blanche de Castille, Reine de France (Paris, 1895); Charles VII. 6 vols. (2020-21). From Gaston Du Fresne de Beaucourt (Paris, 1881-1891); Queen Margot and the end of the Valois, 1553-1615 (2021). From Charles Merki, La Reine Margot et la fin des Valois (1553-1615) (Paris, 1905); Institutions of Ancient Rome (2023). From Auguste Bouché-Leclercq (1842-1923) Manuel des Institutions Romaines (Paris, 1886).