Richard Cavendish (12 August 1930 – 21 October 2016) was a British historian who was considered Britain's foremost authority on the subjects of occultism, religion, the tarot, and mythology.
He lived with his partner in the United States for eight years, in New York City and Los Angeles.
[1] Cavendish was educated at Christ's Hospital and at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he specialized in medieval studies.
[3] The Daily Telegraph said that Cavendish was considered "an authority on magic, myth, and witchcraft" and that his work was highly regarded for its depth of research and agnostic stance towards its sometimes controversial subject matter.
[2] Some of his books like The Black Arts: A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages and The Powers of Evil in Western Religion, Magic and Folk Belief were written for a lay audience rather than for scholars, and had become bestsellers with The Black Arts passing its 40th edition.