The occult sciences : the philosophy of magic, prodigies, and apparent miracles

Salverte’s work examines claims of magic, marvels, and supernatural phenomena through a skeptical historical lens. It is important as a nineteenth-century study that tries to explain prodigies and occult reports as products of psychology, trickery, or misunderstood natural causes, while cataloging a wide range of magical traditions and anecdotes.

Éusèbe Salverte (1771–1839) was a French writer and legislator known for his critical and rationalist approach to marvels, miracles, and occult phenomena. His works contributed to the nineteenth-century scholarly interrogation of superstition, magic, and the history of beliefs.