Lives of the necromancers or An account of the most eminent persons in successive ages who have claimed for themselves or to whom has been imputed by others the exercise of magical powers (1834) was the final book written by English journalist, political philosopher and novelist William Godwin.

[1] The book begins with an introduction that explains the ways in which superstitions and other mythical beliefs could have originated during the Middle Ages, before the scientific revolution.

The first chapter is entitled "Ambitious Nature of Man" and briefly explains many concepts including divination, chiromancy, interpretations of dreams, casting of lots, fairies, Rosicrucianism, oracles and necromancy.

[2] The conclusion mentions some laws that were passed in various parts of the world to remove the punishment of witchcraft, such as the 1736 English statute that stated "no capital prosecution should for the future take place for conjuration, sorcery and enchantment, but restricting the punishment of persons pretending to tell fortunes and discover stolen goods by witchcraft, to that appertaining to a misdemeanour.

He praises the way in which the book displays "the great range and wild extravagancy of the imagination of man", and he concludes that "his compilation is an invaluable work, evincing much labor and research, and full of absorbing interest.