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A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, & Pagans by Brooks Alexander, Jeffrey B. Russell
mayphoenix7992's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.5
4,5⭐️
Very interesting book. I was a bit wary that it might be one of those witchy, esoteric, strange books that are borderline cultist but the fact that it was displayed on a Waterstones Piccadilly table drew my curiosity.
It was a very sensible and thorough history of witchcraft with definitions and explanations on the differences between heresy, witchcraft, sorcery, wicca and other related topics.
I'm impressed by the thorough research based on the historical and social aspects of witchcraft throughout history, from the causes to the consequences of witch-craze but also the reasons for its rises and falls.
I was less interested in the second part on modern witchcraft but it was still interesting to realise that so many concepts and clichés we associate with witchcraft are very recent in history (1960s Britain) and totally invented.
Very interesting book. I was a bit wary that it might be one of those witchy, esoteric, strange books that are borderline cultist but the fact that it was displayed on a Waterstones Piccadilly table drew my curiosity.
It was a very sensible and thorough history of witchcraft with definitions and explanations on the differences between heresy, witchcraft, sorcery, wicca and other related topics.
I'm impressed by the thorough research based on the historical and social aspects of witchcraft throughout history, from the causes to the consequences of witch-craze but also the reasons for its rises and falls.
I was less interested in the second part on modern witchcraft but it was still interesting to realise that so many concepts and clichés we associate with witchcraft are very recent in history (1960s Britain) and totally invented.
circularcubes's review
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyable light summertime reading, with really lovely illustrations! I saw this book on the recently-returned book cart at my college library and jumped at the chance to read this before I left college forever. I recently took a class on the late medieval/Renaissance period and so I already knew a lot about the history, but this book goes more in depth about that era. I also knew nothing about more modern witchcraft/wiccan practices (aside from generally knowing that a ton of lesbians and feminists are into witchcraft) so that was interesting. 10/10 would recommend to a fellow lesbian & feminist interested in witchery.
ovvlish's review
5.0
I am not even sure where to start with this book. It's incredibly well-organized and executed, for starters. It offers an honest history of the development of the idea of witchcraft from prehistoric times to the present, that both expects and dispels many incorrect assumptions that the modern era has about where witchcraft comes from (including assumptions that many modern witches themselves still hold as true). This, all while being succinct throughout and utterly respectful to modern practitioners of witchcraft, wicca, paganism, neo-paganism, etc. I highly highly recommend this book if you want a starting point for scholarly studies of witchcraft, and to be able to more clearly track the development of the modern ideas of witchcraft that are so pervasive, especially in the age of social media.
mirandacactusreads's review
3.0
I had to read most of this for a history class I was taking and then read the rest on my own. Very informative and interesting information. I learned so much about witchcraft that I didn't know before.
booksaremyjam's review against another edition
4.0
I am fascinated by the history of witchcraft. Not the torture, or the feminist subculture that came out of it, or the pop-culture translations. No, I am fascinated by the psychology behind it: what drove people to accuse other people of being witches, and what it actually meant to be "witch" over the centuries.
Luckily, Burton Russell has some thoughts on the subject.
Beginning with ancient civilizations in Africa, Burton Russell explores the idea of sorcerer, of healer, of medicine man, and how Christianity took these ideas and distorted them to create a cohesive Christian culture. He moves to continental Western Europe, and ultimately to Great Britain and the United States of America. As he unspools the height of the "witch-craze" (14th - 17th centuries), he provides glimpses into what drove such hatred and violence: the fear of the Other, the misogyny, and the unstable economic and political times. From there, he races toward the 18th - 20th centuries, the revival of interest in witchcraft, the creation of Wicca, and how the past and present speak to each other.
It's a fascinating book, and one I'll likely read again for all those bits I may have missed the first time around.
Luckily, Burton Russell has some thoughts on the subject.
Beginning with ancient civilizations in Africa, Burton Russell explores the idea of sorcerer, of healer, of medicine man, and how Christianity took these ideas and distorted them to create a cohesive Christian culture. He moves to continental Western Europe, and ultimately to Great Britain and the United States of America. As he unspools the height of the "witch-craze" (14th - 17th centuries), he provides glimpses into what drove such hatred and violence: the fear of the Other, the misogyny, and the unstable economic and political times. From there, he races toward the 18th - 20th centuries, the revival of interest in witchcraft, the creation of Wicca, and how the past and present speak to each other.
It's a fascinating book, and one I'll likely read again for all those bits I may have missed the first time around.
melissa_alyson's review
3.0
Since studying the witch craze at A Level, I have gained a new area of interest that I aim to continue and expand and this book does just that. Although I'd rather (as a history student) a more detailed analysis of the actual events themselves, as often (other than Salem) they are summarised into a few short paragraphs, Russell and Alexander's analysis of the witch phenomenon over the past millennia provide a wide-eyed view into beliefs surrounding the supernatural. The book looks into a varying amount of reasons as to why witchcraft became a deadly obsession, particularly in early modern Europe but what I found most interesting is that it provides a solid foundation as to where these beliefs may have originated as well as founding beliefs in the ancient world and other continents such as Africa. The book also does not end after the scholastic understanding of the end of the witch craze in 1736 but also provides an in depth analysis into modern witchcraft up to the present day and how we are in fact entering a new era of the supernatural. Overall this book was very interesting but took a more theoretical stance which often led to overexplinatio. However if you wish to gain a deeper understanding of the witch hunts for either studying or as a general introduction to the topic, I would highly recommend
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