"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" might conjure up images of Mickey Mouse from the Disney film Fantasia, or of Harry Potter. As this anthology reveals, however, "sorcerer's apprentice" tales--in which a young person rebels against, or complies with, an authority who holds the keys to magical powers--have been told through the centuries, in many languages and cultures, from classical times to today. This unique and beautifully illustrated book brings together more than fifty sorcerer's apprentice stories by a plethora of writers, including Ovid, Sir Walter Scott, and the Brothers Grimm. From Goethe's "The Pupil in Magic" to A.K. Ramanujan's "The Guru and His Disciple," this expansive collection presents variations of a classic passed down through countries and eras. Readers enter worlds where household objects are brought to life and shape-shifting occurs from human to animal and back again. We meet two types of apprentice: "The Humiliated Apprentice," a foolish bumbler who wields magic ineffectively and promotes obedience to authority; and "The Rebellious Apprentice" who, through ambition and transformative skills, promotes empowerment and self-awareness. In an extensive introduction, esteemed fairy-tale scholar Jack Zipes discusses the significance and meaning of the apprentice stories, the contradictions in popular retellings, and the importance of magic as a tool of resistance against figures who abuse their authority.

The legendary David Bronstein, artist and sorcerer of the chess board, uses examples from his own brillant games to develop club player's skills. An unconventional book with interesting stories and easy-to-understand teaching material. This is a revised and expanded edition of a modern chess classic, written by an icon of chess in the 20st century.

Jarvis, the son of a goat herder, cannot believe his luck when he is chosen to be the sorcerer Harnigel's apprentice but soon learns that things are not what they seem at Harnigel's keep.

John Richardson's riveting memoir about growing up in England and, at twenty-five, beginning his twelve-year adventure with the controversial art collector Douglas Cooper. With a new introduction by Jed Perl, here is John Richardson's richly entertaining memoir of his life with the brilliant but difficult British art expert Douglas Cooper--a fiendish, colorful, Evelyn Waugh-like figure who single-handedly assembled the world's most important private collection of Cubist paintings. John Richardson tells the story of their ill-fated but comical association, which began in London in 1949 when Richardson was twenty-five and moved onto the Château de Castille, the famous colonnaded folly in Provence that they restored and filled with masterpieces by Picasso, Braque, Léger, and Juan Gris. Richardson unfurls a fascinating adventure through twelve years, encompassing famous artists and writers, collectors and other celebrities--Francis Bacon, Jean Cocteau, Luis Miguel Dominguín, Dora Maar, Peggy Guggenheim, and Henri Matisse, to name only a few. And central to the book is Richardson's close friendship with Picasso, which coincided with the emergence of the artist's new mistress, Jacqueline Roque, and gave Richardson an inside view of the repercussions she would have on Picasso's life and work. With an eye for detail, an ear for scandal, and a sparkling narrative style, Richardson has written a unique, fast-paced saga of modernism behind the scenes.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice opens with Amy Wallace’s first meeting with Carlos Castaneda, the infamous anthropologist-turned-shaman, whose books described meetings with Yaqui Indian spiritual teacher don Juan. Castaneda’s rise was meteoric in the late 1960s as he wrote massive bestsellers, inspired many to experiment with psychedelics, and was dubbed “the Godfather of the New Age.” The possibility that Castaneda’s experiences may have been fabricated did little to compromise his legend.As the daughter of best-selling novelist Irving Wallace, Amy was rarely shy around famous people. When her father insisted she meet Castaneda, she at first demurred. Little did she know that a delightful first meeting would begin a 20-year friendship, followed by her descent into the dramatic and deeply troubled affair chronicled in this book. Sorcerer’s Apprentice unblinkingly reveals the inner workings of the “Cult of Carlos,” run by a charismatic authoritarian in his sixties who controlled his young female followers through emotional abuse, mind games, bizarre rituals, dubious teachings, and sexual excess. Wallace’s story is both specific and universal, a captivating cautionary tale about the dangers of giving up one’s power to a tyrant–and about surviving assaults on body and spirit.

by Geoff O'Callaghan ISBN 978 1 846930249 Published: 2007 Pages: 240 Description The Sorcerer's Apprentice This is an anthology of seven of my short stories which tell the story of Mark Anderson, who becomes a sorcerer's apprentice. They form a continuous story. Mark is a runaway thirteen year old, fleeing his step father's demonic abuse. He is taken in by a gipsy shopkeeper, Dr. Kieran Guyot. who was an industrial chemist before he retired. Kieran is not your story-book gypsy. He lives in town, is a master of 'The Craft' and fights evil in all its forms. Mark's evil stepfather wants the boys soul to feed on for eternity, but Mark has other ideas. In the second story, mark and Kieran fight a terrible vampire who has picked their town as a hunting ground. A parapsychologist, who hates Magic, abducts mark to force him to develop his psychic abilities. Mark inherits a fortune when his billionaire uncle dies. He is dragged into African politics, when a dictator tries to extort millions of dollars from his company. Mark meets Philip, a mute boy, who is orphaned in a car crash. With his new found friend, Mark fights a demonic cult that enjoys human sacrifice. Finally, Mark and Philip become involved in the politics of magic, when one of the Council of Nine, who govern the Magical Craft, tries to eliminate Mark as a potential rival for membership. The stories were written long before Harry Potter appeared on the scene. A favourite of boys, who discover that Magic is not just for girls. About the Author Geoff was born in Jersey, then under German occupation, during World War II. Soon after the war, his family moved to Brisbane, Australia. He was educated at All Souls' School, Charters Towers - a rather traditional boarding school after the English style. What knowledge one didn't learn through the ears was well and truly belted in through the rear end, complete with blood blisters. His first contact with the cane was for not running around a sports oval fast enough. He now prides himself on a complete disinterest on sports and knows nothing about cricket. This led to his creative and artistic sides developing. He had a way with words, and was a skilled debater. After secondary school, he took to teaching, graduated, and then obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Aboriginal Education. For the next thirty years, he lived with remote aborigines in the Great Western Desert, firstly as a primary school teacher, and later as a School Principal and Administrator. During this time, he took up writing, mostly short stories and film scripts. It was a good way to while away lonely hours in the desert evenings. The development of miniature computers took his interest, and He wrote to the Department suggesting they take a serious look at the use of Computers in Education. Because of the proximity of a U.S. Sigint facility at Alice Springs, many of the students, especially the American kids, were interested in computing. At first they used Tandy Level Ones and Apples. While very primitive compared to today's machines, Many of the I.T. Community cut their teeth on computing under Geoff's tutelage. They even built a 'Dream 8080' and got it working.

As a child, Tahir Shah learned the secrets of illusion from an Indian magician. This is the story of his apprenticeship to one of India's master conjurors and his initiation into the brotherhood of godmen. Learning to unmask and practice illusion, he seeks out the subcontinents sadhus, sages, sorcerers, hypnotists, and humbugs. His quest exposes a side of India that most writers never imagine exists. Photos.