A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, & Pagans (Second Edition)
by Jeffrey B. Russell, Brooks Alexander
List Price:
Our Price: $11.98
You Save: $9.97 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.34 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Brooks Alexander, Jeffrey B. RussellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-03-26
ISBN: 0500286345
Number of pages: 216
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Book Reviews of A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, & Pagans (Second Edition)
Book Review: DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS SIZE
Summary: 5 Stars
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 . . .
Summary of A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, & Pagans (Second Edition)
"It separates centuries of supernatural nonsense from documented fact spellbinding."?Los Angeles Times
For nearly thirty years, Jeffrey B. Russell's authoritative book has been the one illustrated history to which anyone interested in this subject could turn with confidence. Now, in collaboration with Brooks Alexander, who has himself conducted innovative research in the field, this classic book has been fully revised, with an updated introduction and bibliography, new information throughout, and an extended account of witchcraft from ancient times to the present day.Drawing comparisons between modern sorcery and that of the ancient world, the book shows how the European witch craze in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries developed out of a combination of ancient sorcery and medieval Christian heresy, paganism, folklore, scholastic theology, and inquisitorial trials. Whether the diabolical witchcraft for which men and women went to the stake ever existed is open to question. What matters more is that it was believed to exist by intellectuals and peasants alike. 110 illustrations
Wicca Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Wicca Books
A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, & Pagans (Second Edition)by Jeffrey B. Russell, Brooks Alexander
Thames & Hudson; Published: 2007-03-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.95
Price in other shops:
Witchcraft and Black Magicby Montague Summers
Dover Publications; Published: 2000-03-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $348.64
The Shaman -by Piers Vitebsky -
Little Brown and Co., Publishers -; Published: 1995; Paperback; Book
Witchcraft (World University Library)by Lucy P. Mair
Littlehampton Book Services Ltd; Published: 1969-04; Paperback; Book
Witchcraft: A History of the Black Artby Walter B. Gibson
Littlehampton Book Services Ltd; Published: 1973-12-06; Hardcover; Book
The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical Worldby Judika Illes
ThorsonsElement; Published: 2005-06-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.60
Price in other shops:
The Magic of Labyrinths: Following your Path, Finding Your Centerby Liz Simpson
Thorsons; Published: 2002-11-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $39.42
The Real Witches' Kitchen: Spells, Recipes, Oils, Lotions and Potions from the Witches' Hearthby Kate West
Thorsons; Published: 2002-05-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
A Woman's Guide to the Earth Traditions: Exploring Wicca, Shamanism, Paganism and Celtic Spiritualityby Vivianne Crowley
Thorsons; Published: 2001-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $175.50
Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today (Compass)by Margot Adler
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1997-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraftby Paul Boyer, Stephen Nissenbaum
Fine Communications; Published: 1997-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $94.12
Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azandeby E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Eva Gillies
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1976-06-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $27.17
Price in other shops:
Dracula (Dover Thrift Editions)by Bram Stoker
Dover Publications; Dover Publications; Published: 2000-04-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.60
Price in other shops:
The Crucibleby Arthur Miller
Penguin Classics; Published: 2003-03-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.34
Price in other shops:
Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraftby Paul Boyer, Stephen Nissenbaum
Harvard University Press; Published: 1974-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.99
Price in other shops:
The Salem Witch Hunt: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)by Richard Godbeer
Bedford/St. Martin's; Published: 2011-01-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.39
The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Editionby Starhawk
HarperOne; Published: 1999-09-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.65
Price in other shops:
The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trialsby Marion L. Starkey
Anchor; Published: 1989-09-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.53
Price in other shops:
The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarumby Christopher S. Mackay
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2009-05-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.81
Price in other shops:
Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History (Middle Ages Series)University of Pennsylvania Press; Published: 2000-11-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.00
Price in other shops: