by Wallace Notestei
I bought This book in the free kindle edition - I'll read almost anything so long as it is well written and inexpensive.
For those looking to research the subject this is a treasure trove of accurate information about Witch prosecutions in England during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. It is about England - only. There are only a few paragraphs about the Salem trials and I don't remember any names coming up in that section - certainly no family histories. For me the multitude of brief and very similar case histories grows all too familiar - I was looking for something more casual and more about witches. Had it been much longer I probably would have given up on it.
I would not, in fact, even have bothered to "REVIEW" the book, except that I feel the need to counter the dis-information of another review. (Yeah it's after Midnight and I have to correct something I read on the internet. I'm that guy).
I really only checked out the reviews, hoping to gain a lead to a book that might be more interesting. Instead I found a glowing 5 star review written by someone must have read a different book, and an equally uninformative 1 star review by someone who feels strongly negative about the book but never states "why" he or she has this feeling. I can't tell if the writer is pro-witch or anti-witch or even understands that this book is more than 100 years old. Since the book is about the outcome of historically recorded trials, none less than 290 years ago, I find it hard to comprehend the anger.
There is NO information here about the families living in Salem, Mass during the witch-hunts in this book. The book barely mentions the American trials and certainly never goes into the geneology of the Salem families. The book is AS THE TITLE CLEARLY STATES "A History of Witchcraft in ENGLAND from 1558 to 1718". Underline IN ENGLAND. Scotland is barely mentioned, and it was the home country of King James the First.
In fact the book does not actually have anything to say about witchcraft - only about the records of those accused and if they were convicted or punished as witches. The author does state in far too many ways throughout the book that he does not believe in witches, and that eventually the hysteria tended to die out wherever it sprang up.
A modern book on the subject would probably have a final chapter equating flying saucers abductees, to those who claim to have been "spelled" by a witch. Of course, just like saucer probings, the only answer to how one comes to be standing around, apparently healthy and able to speak of being "witch hexed" is "Well, I got better!"
-Customer Review
A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718 - Kindle Non-Fiction
Reviewed by Duh
on
12:00 PM
Rating:
Reviewed by Duh
on
12:00 PM
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