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The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present Kindle Edition

by Ronald Hutton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 573 ratings
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This “magisterial account” explores the fear of witchcraft across the globe from the ancient world to the notorious witch trials of early modern Europe (The Guardian, UK).

The witch came to prominence—and often a painful death—in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In The Witch, historian Ronald Hutton sets the European witch trials in the widest and deepest possible perspective and traces the major historiographical developments of witchcraft.
 
Hutton, a renowned expert on ancient, medieval, and modern paganism and witchcraft beliefs, combines Anglo-American and continental scholarly approaches to examine attitudes on witchcraft and the treatment of suspected witches across the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Australia, and the Americas, and from ancient pagan times to current interpretations. His fresh anthropological and ethnographical approach focuses on cultural inheritance and change while considering shamanism, folk religion, the range of witch trials, and how the fear of witchcraft might be eradicated.
 
“[A] panoptic, penetrating book.”—Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books
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  1. Print length
    385 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Yale University Press
  5. Publication date
    August 1, 2017
  6. File size
    4688 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“For anyone researching the subject, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.”—Washington Post

“Magisterial . . . Hutton concerns himself with the bad, black version of the craft that has terrified poor souls for centuries. His approach blends a broad geographic sweep with the detailed attention of microhistory.”—Kathryn Hughes, Guardian

“[A] panoptic, penetrating book.”—Malcolm Gaskill, London Review of Books

“What he has done very valuably, though, is to put what most of us know already into a far wider context, both geographically and historically. It’s up to us then to examine our own notions of witches and witchcraft—no longer threatening, but still perfectly familiar.”—Wall Street Journal

“Hutton, a leading authority on paganism and witchcraft, traces the idea of witches far beyond the Salem witch trials to beliefs and attitudes about witches around the world throughout history.”—Los Angeles Times

“Comprehensive . . . Highly recommended for readers interested in witch trials, European folklore, and the history of magical beliefs and practices.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Hutton's exhaustive book explores historical histrionics that resulted in violence against (predominately) women accused of witchcraft.”—Shelf Awareness

"This book [provides] a broad, inclusive, and insightful survey on the witch figure and how these ideas inform the witch trials, while also suggesting provocative shifts for the field at large."—Cimminnee Holt, Reading Religion

"An engrossing journey through the world of witches and witchcraft. Highly recommended for those fascinated by the nature and extent of the notorious European Witch Trials."—Tony Robinson  

"Eloquent, historically grounded, and global in reach, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the social and political context of witchcraft and the manipulation of supposed supernatural powers."—Timothy Darvill, OBE, author of Prehistoric Britain

"Few historical concepts come as imbued with horror and intrigue as that slippery figure of the witch. Ronald Hutton has turned his considerable expertise to this always-current subject, illuminating the late Medieval and early modern idea of witches and witchcraft. Readers looking for a rigorous interdisciplinary approach to the history of witchcraft will devour this book."—Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

“The book we have all been waiting for.”—Diane Purkiss, author of The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-century Representations
 

About the Author

Ronald Hutton is professor of history, University of Bristol, and a leading authority on ancient, medieval, and modern paganism, the history of the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the global context of witchcraft beliefs.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0747R8YSX
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (August 1, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4688 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 385 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 573 ratings

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Ronald Hutton

Ronald Hutton

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
573 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

thanson02
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for people interested in the history of witchcraft
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
Across the board, this is a great book. Well written and gives a good overview of the topic. Recommend it for anyone interested in the topic.

The only thing that was a bummer was that it covered the topic up through the beginning of the 1700s and that is where it ended. So it is not to the "present"
18 people found this helpful
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K. MCBRIDE
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2017
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This is an astonishing academic research achievement for which the author is commended and which certainly broadened my reference level of knowledge of the persecution of innocents for centuries due to fear and ignorance. It is not a research book that can be quickly read but is well worth the effort revealing this darkness of human nature.
33 people found this helpful
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James Kronberg
4.0 out of 5 stars A little bit scary
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2022
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The author crafts (yes) a well-reasoned argument but based on likely faulty premises. GIGO. A good read, nonetheless.
3 people found this helpful
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Wooly Babooshka
5.0 out of 5 stars I love the feel and smell of this book
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2017
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Captivating! Intriguing! Raw! Elegant! This is Ronald Hutton's Magnum Opus! What a gift.
3 people found this helpful
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Minimalist
3.0 out of 5 stars So you think you know about witches?
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is much more scholarly written than I had expected. I had no idea that witches appeared in so many cultures around the world and go back much farther in time than the 5-600 years in Europe and Amerca we typically learned about in school. At another time I might be ready to tackle a read of such comprehensive scope but for now I want something more suitable for reading in a deck chair on a sunny day.
15 people found this helpful
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Beth
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2019
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Great book
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2018
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Great data.
2 people found this helpful
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COSman
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2017
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Great!
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Anna
4.0 out of 5 stars Buono
Reviewed in Italy on February 29, 2024
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buono ma acquistato per errore ..non posso dare una valutazione completa
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Karen Dales
5.0 out of 5 stars In depth study of Witches through the ages.
Reviewed in Canada on June 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
Prof. Hutton hits another out of the ballpark!
What an incredibly informationally dense book on the history of witches and witchcraft. A definite MUST read for anyone interested in Wicca, Witchcraft and history.
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Marcus Vinicius Reis
5.0 out of 5 stars Entrega e qualidade do texto
Reviewed in Brazil on September 20, 2020
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Nada a reclamar!
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Joya
4.0 out of 5 stars Nyccc book
Reviewed in India on July 1, 2021
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I really don't know about history much but really nice one if you wanna know about witch history
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Alejandro Quijano
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing research
Reviewed in Mexico on May 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
Few pages into the book any scholar or academic geek will be aroused by the methodology, estructure, and perfect prose Ronald Hutton uses for such topic. It is without a doubt some of the most exhaustive texts regarding witchcraft and the sociocultural consequences of its belief.
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