The Penguin Book of Witches

New
Paperback
2014
$11.37

A chilling, truly authoritative anthology of real-life accounts of witches, from medieval Europe through colonial America
From a manual for witch hunters written by King James himself in 1597, to court documents from the Salem witch trials of 1692, to newspaper coverage of a woman stoned to death on the streets of Philadelphia while the Continental Congress met, The Penguin Book of Witches is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends. Bringing to life stories like that of Eunice Cole, tried for attacking a teenage girl with a rock and buried with a stake through her heart; Jane Jacobs, a Bostonian so often accused of witchcraft that she took her tormentors to court on charges of slander; and Increase Mather, an exorcism-performing minister famed for his knowledge of witches, this volume provides a unique tour through the darkest history of English and North American witchcraft.

Synopsis

A chilling, truly authoritative anthology of real-life accounts of witches, from medieval Europe through colonial America

From a manual for witch hunters written by King James himself in 1597, to court documents from the Salem witch trials of 1692, to newspaper coverage of a woman stoned to death on the streets of Philadelphia while the Continental Congress met, The Penguin Book of Witches is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends. Bringing to life stories like that of Eunice Cole, tried for attacking a teenage girl with a rock and buried with a stake through her heart; Jane Jacobs, a Bostonian so often accused of witchcraft that she took her tormentors to court on charges of slander; and Increase Mather, an exorcism-performing minister famed for his knowledge of witches, this volume provides a unique tour through the darkest history of English and North American witchcraft.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Published: 02 Oct 2014
ISBN 10: 014310618X
ISBN 13: 9780143106180
Book Overview: The Penguin Book of Witches is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends.

Media Reviews

This comprehensive collection of carefully selected documents and published primary materials, coupled with judicious and informative introductions, will help modern readers understand the seemingly inexplicable and persistent popular phenomenon of belief in witchcraft from the seventeenth century into more modern times -- Mary Beth Norton (author of In the Devil's Snare)
Fascinating and insightful. With her usual skill, Katherine Howe navigates the winding path leading to Salem's hysteria and beyond. A must-read for anyone who wants to know not only what happened but also how and why -- Brunonia Barry (author of The Lace Reader)

Author Bio

Katherine Howe, the direct descendant of two accused Salem witches, is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. She teaches American colonial history and creative writing at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.