The Penguin Book of Witches
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"Chilling 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."--publisher.
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An intriguing subject, but I personally would've preferred more discussion of the historical events rather than the source accounts. While interesting to read, they get a little bit samey and dry to read after a while.
Unfortunately, I couldn't stand the editor's endnotes. At times, she came across as treating the reader like an idiot. One example, for instance, regarding the trial of a woman named Rachel mentions “I, this deponent, asked her whether she gave Rach[torn]* any pins and she said she gave Rachel about seven” At which point, I turned to the endnotes to read “Probably Rachel” Well, no shit. Unfortunately, too many instances of this type of worthless footnote turned me against the book, and I ended up disliking the entire reading experience.
The Salem Witch Trials have always fascinated me. While the narrator was hard to listen to at times, this was very interesting and I would recommend for those who love this type of histort.
