An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

26. Witches

February 25, 2021

Description

Suzannah Lipscomb joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the history of witches and witchcraft. Why did society see witches as a threat and what is the modern equivalent of a witch...
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Books Referenced

The Voices of Neem

Author: Susanna Lipscomb

Context:

Introduced as one of Susanna Lipscomb's award-winning books on early modern history, described as being about women, sex and marriage in Reformation Languedoc

Lady Bird Book of Witchcraft

Author: Susanna Lipscomb

Context:

Described as Susanna Lipscomb's recently published book, relevant to the discussion topic of witchcraft

Witches and Neighbours

Author: Robin Briggs

Context:

Referenced as having studied witchcraft trials in Lorraine; later mentioned as having done 'really good work on examining the details of neighbourhood accusations'

Witch Craze: Terror and Fantasy in Baroque Germany

Author: Lyndall Roper

Context:

Described as having written 'that great book about witchcraft in Germany' and having done 'interesting work' on witches' fantasies about meeting the devil

Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of the Witches)

Author: Heinrich Kramer

Context:

Explicitly called 'the famous book' written by a German-Dominican monk, discussed as elevating witchcraft to heresy and being 'a particularly misogynistic text'

The Formation of a Persecuting Society

Author: R.A. Moore

Context:

Referenced for describing the Middle Ages as 'a persecuting society' in discussing the medieval approach to heresy

Religion and the Decline of Magic

Author: Keith Thomas

Context:

Referenced alongside Alan McFarlane for developing the concept of 'refusal guilt syndrome' as a classic scenario in witchcraft accusations

Witchcraft in Tudor and Stuart England

Author: Alan McFarlane

Context:

Referenced alongside Keith Thomas for developing the concept of 'refusal guilt syndrome' as a classic scenario in witchcraft accusations

Demonology

Author: James VI of Scotland (James I of England)

Context:

Explicitly described as a book written in 1597 'in which he had given people instructions on how to find witches'

The Arch-Conjuror of England: John Dee

Author: Glyn Parry

Context:

Referenced as having written about John Dee and Elizabeth I's interest in alchemy

So You've Been Publicly Shamed

Author: John Ronson

Context:

Referenced as having written about large-scale online shaming, in the context of discussing modern parallels to witch hunts

A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult

Author: DK Publishing

Context:

Susanna Lipscomb mentions writing a forward for this book, which 'looks at witchcraft beliefs across the world throughout time'