The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe

The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe, now in its fourth edition, introduces students to the phenomenon that saw thousands of people accused, prosecuted and executed for the crime of witchcraft between 1450 and 1750. The witch-hunt was not a single event; it comprised thousands of individual prosecutions, each shaped by the religious and social dimensions of the particular area, as well as political and legal factors. Brian Levack considers the many theories, as well as contributing to the scholarly debate.

This new edition is fully updated to include the latest research in the field, in particular providing expanded coverage on children, male witches, the relationship between shamanism and witchcraft and demonic possession. It also explores the geographical distribution of prosecutions, making comparisons between different countries and discusses the recent work on regions, cities and kingdoms.

The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe is now fully intergrated with Brian Levack‘s The Witchcraft Sourcebook 2ed, both within the text and on a new companion website which draws the two books together, creating an invaluable resource for students of witchcraft and witch trials in the early modern period. 

The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe, now in its fourth edition, is the perfect resource for both students and scholars of the witch-hunts written by one of the leading names in the field. For those starting out in their studies of witch-beliefs and witchcraft trials, Brian Levack provides a concise survey of this complex and fascinating topic, while for more seasoned scholars the scholarship is brought right up to date. This new edition includes the most recent research on children, gender, male witches and demonic possession as well as broadening the exploration of the geographical distribution of witch prosecutions to include recent work on regions, cities and kingdoms enabling students to identify comparisons between countries.

Now fully integrated with Brian Levack’s The Witchcraft Sourcebook, there are links to the sourcebook throughout the text, pointing students towards key primary sources to aid them in their studies. The two books are drawn together on a new companion website with supplementary materials for those wishing to advance their studies, including an extensive guide to further reading, a chronology of the history of witchcraft and an interactive map to show the geographical spread of witch-hunts and witch trials across Europe and North America.

A long-standing favourite with students and lecturers alike, this new edition of The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe will be essential reading for those embarking on or looking to advance their studies of the history of witchcraft