[.ca] Servants of Satan: The Age of the Witch Hunts (ISBN 0253204224)

Great study of the late witch hunts:
Although not the definitive guide on witchcraft, this book does do justice to the late Middle Ages and beyond, and describes the evolution and eventual downfall of witchcraft persecution. If you truly want to know about the history of witchcraft throughout the Middle Ages, you should combine this book with other books that cover the earlier history in more detail, such as R.I. Moore's "Formation of A Persecuting Society", which covers 950-1250; or Kors & Peters' "Witchcraft In Europe:1100-1700." I read alll three in college for a witchcraft class, and I would find none of them to be definitive on the subject. Taken together, however, they provided a strong overview on the topic.

Best book on its subject I know of:
This book considers the general course and significance of the witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries. I admit my interest in the subject stems from the fact that my nine times great grandmother was the defendant in a witch trial in 16th century Germany. in which she was ably defended and was vindicated. The introduction to this fine volume reads in part: "The bleak terrain of the witch trials is both forbidding and depressing. Their vast scale must daunt any writer who hopes to explain the dynamics and significance of witch hunting, while the story of the trials also is bound to provoke discouraging conclusions about the human potential for inhumanity. Yet the witch craze's prominence in the history of the period necessitates the broadest possible treatment, not only chronologically and spatially but also conceptually. Our current knowledge of political institutions, social structure, and patterns of thought should be brought to bear when placing witch hunts in their historical context." The book succeeds admirably in carrying out the announced aim. It is the best treatment of the subject I know of.