Witchcraft: A History

Witchcraft: A History traces changing ideas about magic and witchcraft from ancient Greece and Rome through medieval demonology, early modern prosecutions and twentieth-century paganism. P. G. Maxwell-Stuart shows how the meaning of witchcraft shifted across different societies, while examining the developing relationship between magical practice, Christianity and heresy.

The book challenges familiar assumptions about witches, noting that accused people included men and young people, while many cases ended in acquittal or no prosecution. It considers how suspects were identified, discusses famous trials, and places accusations in their wider social and religious settings, including Protestant England and colonial North America. Modern Wiccan beliefs provide a final point of comparison with earlier magical traditions.