Cassell Dictionary of Witchcraft by David Pickering


Cassell Dictionary of Witchcraft
Title : Cassell Dictionary of Witchcraft
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0304350982
ISBN-10 : 9780304350988
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 320
Publication : First published December 12, 1991

If you think witches ride broomsticks, over 750 articles on witchcraft's myths, history, and development will set you straight! Trace its rituals, revered objects, and major figures, such as "Witchfinder General" Matthew Hopkins and Aleister Crowley. Contemporary documents and eyewitness accounts chronicle notorious witch trials, while entries explain key terms and the theory and practice of occult magic. Look at the witchcraft hysteria that gripped the Western world for centuries. Includes illustrations from historical pamphlets and books. 320 pages, 50 b/w illus., 6 x 9 1/4.

Cassell Dictionary of Witchcraft Reviews

  • Peter

    Not a book to read but one to dip into. Good source of obscure reference.

  • Diana Jones

    I've had a well loved, and well worn out, hardcover copy of this book for many years now and I am thrilled to see it's finally been made available in an affordable ebook format!

    There are many books that claim to be dictionaries or encyclopedias of witchcraft out there, and very few of them are exactly that. This is one of those that are exactly that. I've found it to be a valuable resource over the years and I highly recommend it for any witch's bookshelf!

  • Noelle Walsh

    This book was quite good. Looking at it from a historical standpoint it was incredible! I learned a lot that I didn't know about pre-modern witchcraft and I have already taken the liberty of recommending it! This book is really worth reading!

  • Robert Bagnall

    I’m never quite sure how to tackle these sort of reviews: I’ve been reading this because I’m not an expert, so what exactly do I measure it against? It’s eminently readable, detailed, and appears thoroughly researched, but maybe there’s an enormous witch-shaped hole in the entries I’m not seeing? Maybe it’s all made up? The last one is quite plausible because, let’s face it, on one level or another, it largely is. Favourite nugget: sleeping with a wolf’s head under your pillow prevents nightmares. Yeah, if you get any sleep at all…

  • Christina Widmann

    In der Mittelstufe musste ich ein Referat über Hexenverfolgung im Mittelalter halten. Eine glatte 1 mit diesem Buch als einziger Quelle.

  • Barbara

    Although there are some interesting entries about witch trials and other thing, there is an undercuurent in the text. This man does not like witches and thinks they were justly burned. Sometimes he seems to sympathize with the victims and at other times he thinks they are crazy. The modern day witchcraft/wicca movement isn't taken seriously by him and he generalizes all the modern day practitioners. It makes me wonder why someone who has such a prejudiced view of witches (old and modern)would even write aa book about it.

  • Jack

    Comprehensive collection of information about witches and their persecution in times past.