The Secret Lore of Magic- Idries Shah "The Secret Lore of Magic" is a book written by Idries Shah, an Afghan author, thinker, and teacher in the Sufi tradition. It was first published in 1957 and contains a series of major source-books of magical arts, many of which were translated into English for the first time. The book is annotated and fully illustrated with numerous diagrams, signs, and characters. Shah wrote over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies. The bulk of material in this bibliographical study had never been published openly before.