A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, & Pagans

Those who seek knowledge of history on this topic will not be disappointed. This book is by no means light reading. Every page is packed with historic information that was obviously thoroughly researched. The book begins as far back as written history can reach and reaches as far forward as present day. There is a somewhat heavier emphasis on the witch-craze that began in continental Europe and ended in the N.A. colonies, but the periods before and after the witch-craze are thorough. I was impressed with the balance of lack-of-bias and entertainment the author delivered. They did a rather good job at presenting a lot of information and very little opinion, yet the writing style flowed well and did not have a dull 'textbook' feel, so to speak. Furthermore the history presented is more than historical facts, dates and pronouns. The book is littered with summaries of stories, some of which are rather interesting for better or worse, and also strewn throughout are black-and-white images and photos. There were some surprises for me throughout the book, as well. There are certain aspects of modern witchcraft that have been a little distorted, especially in common presentation of Wicca, and the author set about to present the facts available, while rarely making broad claims. It is clear that the author had no intention of trying to 'disenchant' the religion, as they also include a lot of interesting and almost endearing facts about the development of Wicca that are not commonly mentioned. Ultimately the reader is left to take the available information and draw their own conclusions. I would highly recommend this book not only to those with an interest in history, but also to those with an interest in neopaganism, Wicca or simply the practice of witchcraft in whatever form or path they choose. The history may have been twisted a little here and there, but it is still quite charming and valid in the movement's desires.

My first thought on receiving this book was, "Wow, what a small book!" My second thought was, "Half of this book is pictures!" My third thought was, "How could a book with only 100 pages of text possibly cover the history of witchcraft?" As I started reading though, my fears got knocked out, one by one. A quick glance at the Contents pages shows how thorough this book is: 1 Sorcery 2 The Roots of European Witchcraft 3 Witchcraft, Heresy and Inquisition 4 The Witch-Craze on the Continent of Europe 5 Witchcraft in Britain and America 6 Witchcraft and Society 7 The Decline of Witchcraft 8 Survivals and Revivals 9 Neopagan Witchcraft: The Sources 10 Neopagan Witchcraft: The Movement 11 The Role of Witchcraft Pretty self-explanatory, but I was glad to find that this book also mentions sorcery/witchcraft in not just Europe, but countries like Africa, as well. On the coverage of American witchcraft, I was pleased to see that there was a quick but sufficient history on the Salem witch trials and not a repetitive drawn-out version. What I liked most about this book was how it came across as very unbiased --the authors frequently call out authors by name and criticize their "unscholarly" research. They also viewed witchcraft from different perspectives, to include economic, such as on page 111, where it says: "Nor did declining economic conditions necessarily correlate with witchcraft. Macfarlane observed that in Essex prosecutions were at their height in the 1580s and 1590s, a period of relative prosperity." The only bad thing I can say about this book is a small one: Because the pages are so glossy they are often prone to a glare that makes reading indoors a matter of finding the right spot/sitting position. One other small thing I just noticed: The Amazon picture for this book shows the title as "A NEW history of witchcraft", however, when I received my book the title is merely "A history of witchcraft: Second Edition". I assume both are the same book, just different covers. A very fascinating book (this coming from a person who does not normally read non-fiction). If only textbooks could be this interesting . . .

Book was very well written! Sources are relevant and well cited. The author managed to pack a ton of information into an easy-to-read format. It's a little heavy on the pictures, which isn't a bad thing. The writer had a very neutral approach to the subject matter. All in all, a great resource for studying the history of witchcraft.

A very interesting book covering the ancient and modern roots of withcraft

I loved this book! At first I was worried it would be a tough read because the font seemed a bit small, but once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I finished it in one day. I'm very happy to add this book to my library!

Great book - I loved the way the author started in the past an worked his way to present day explaining the origins and possible origins of many aspects of the Old Religion - and its many influential characters. I would highly recommend it to anyone - in fact I've already loaned it out to a friend who is going to buy his own copy. Thanks amazon!!

Would buy again, no problem- professional and prompt service- thank you

Aside from the information, which is great, the binding of the book is poor. This needs to be reworked into a new binding because turning the page made one of them come out and it was a brand new book. Overall I like the topics of the book, but the binding is too small and fragile I couldn’t even open it wide enough to highlight due to its size and the constraints of the binding.

Livro analisa a feitiçaria do ponto de vista histórico e sociológico explicando as razões porque tem adeptos e porque passam por períodos ora de perseguição ora de tolerância e aceitação.

I'm so glad that I bought this book. It disspells all the myths surrounding witch-craft. Anyone interested in the subject will find the book a gem. It spans from the begining of sorcery and witch-craft, right up to the modern day. If you think that Witches spend evenings indulging in orgies and cursing people, think again. It shows the injustice done to Witches throughout the centuries, and where the image of 'Devil-Worshipers' stems from. Many people still have that image of Witches today. Mention that you're a Wiccan, or Pagan and you can see them mentally picturing the sign of the cross at you. The book aptly explains the true Pagan way. I highly recomend this book to anyone with an interest in Witch-craft.

Voici un ouvrage d'un historien spécialiste dans son domaine qui donne une vraie perspective historique au neo-paganisme. A ajouter dans une bibliothèque païenne de toute urgence.

Edit: The Amazon Customer service department gave a fair solution for this situation. Thank you! In addition, the content of the books is great information. After having to put up with a horrible experience with DHL I also had the surprise of discovering that the book has multiple defects. The covers have scratches all over and the corners are ripped and folded. The description doesn't state that the book has been owned before, therefore I was expecting a new book. This is definitely not one and thus I am very unsatisfied with the seller.

Love this book. Very informative.