The Penguin Book Of Witches

Edited by Howe Katherine
Short description/annotation
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, this title offers a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches.
Description

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.

Review quote
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
Review quote
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
Biographical note
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.
Promotional headline
The Penguin Book of Witches is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends.

Excerpt

Contents

English Antecedents

   •  Witches in the Bible
   •  Trial of Ursula Kemp, St. Osyth, England, 1582 
   •  Reginald Scot, The Discouerie of Witchcraft, 1584 
   •  George Gifford, A Dialogue Concerning Witches and Witchcraftes, 1593 
   •  King James I, Daemonologie, 1597 
   •  William Perkins, A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft, 1608 

The Early Colonies

   •  Joan Wright, Chesapeake Region, Virginia, 1626 
   •  Jane James, Marblehead, Massachusetts, 1646 
   •  Margaret Jones, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1648 
   •  Ralph and Mary Hall, Setauket, New York, 1665 
   •  Eunice Cole, Hampton, Massachusetts, Later New Hampshire, 1647–1680 
   •  Mary Philips, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1659 
   •  John Godfrey, Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1659–1665 
   •  Rebecca and Nathaniel Greensmith, Hartford, Connecticut, 1662 
   •  A Tryal of Witches, Bury St. Edmunds, England, 1662 
   •  Katherine Harrison, Weyersfield, Connecticut, 
   •  and Westchester, New York, 1669 
   •  Possession of Elizabeth Knapp, Groton, Massachusetts, 1671–1672 
   •  Rebecca Fowler, Calvert County, Maryland, 1685 
   •  Goodwife Glover, Boston, Massachusetts, 1688
 
Salem
 
   •  Warrant for the Apprehension of Sarah Good, and Offic