The Penguin Book of Witches

By: Katherine Howe - editor

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Chilling real-life accounts of witches, from medieval Europe through colonial America, compiled by the New York Times best-selling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs.

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.

©2014 Katherine Howe (P)2019 Tantor

Nothing

She read documents but didn’t bother to explain what the old language used meant. I had no idea about half of what she read meant. It was very boring and confusing.

Soooo boring

I hate leaving bad reviews and I so wanted to love this book. Accounts of witchcraft and trials can be fascinating, however not here. I couldn't finish it. I tried. These are the actual accounts, and many of us do not realize just how ridiculous they really were. I smiled at her and she gave a sour face. There's a mean cat in my barn. She turned into a dog with a human face. Hours of that. I guess where ridiculousness is concerened this is an overabundance and a short synopsis would've sufficed. For those looking for the actual trial transcripts and complaints this is the place. However, people forgot how tedious trial transcript can be.