Saducismus Triumphatus: Or, Full and Plain Evidence Concerning Witches and Apparitions [Hardcover]

Joseph Glanvill (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Scholars Facsimilies & Reprint (June 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820110213
• ISBN-13: 978-0820110219
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,201,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Early Investigations of Witches, Ghosts, and Poltergeists, April 30, 2003

By 

Matthew S. Schweitzer "zohoe" (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saducismus Triumphatus: Or, Full and Plain Evidence Concerning Witches and Apparitions (Hardcover)

The "Saducismus Triumphatus" of Joseph Glanvill, originally published in 1681, is one of the seminal works on witches, demons, ghosts, and other paranormal happenings. Glanvill was a distinguished member of the famous Royal Society (of which Isaac Newton was a member) and was disturbed by the rising skepticism and disbelief concerning demons and witches in the late 17th century. Glanvill believed, perhaps justly, that a rising disbelief in ghosts and spirits would eventually lead to a disbelief in Christianity. Glanvill, as an active opponent to Atheism, set out to prove, using scientific means, that ghosts and demons were in fact real, and continued to be a menace to a good Christian society. In doing so, Glanvill produced what has been called the first book on psychical research and what is generally considered the most influential of all English works on witchcraft and the paranormal.

Glanvill relates a number of stories that he collected from friends and colleagues concerning witchery, demons, and other supernatural beings, though he himself witnessed one first hand. Glanvill personally visited the Mompesson house and claimed to witness the doings of the famous Demon Drummer of Tedworth, supposedly the disembodied spirit of a dead soldier who was thought to haunt the place. The other tales deal with other interesting incidents of levitations, flying witches, sabbats, and much more. It is understandable why this work was so popular in its day despite the growing disbelief in the existence of witches.

As noted below, Glanvill's works were highly influential on the Boston clergyman Cotton Mather and were referenced in his "Wonders of the Invisible World", a defence of the Salem Witch Trials published shortly after that infamous affair. Glanvill's attempt to use science and reason to empirically document the supernatural was a first and this book is a valuable addition to the literature of the paranormal.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating folklore and strong prose, April 15, 2001

By 

S. Gustafson "Holy Roman Emperor" (New Albany, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saducismus Triumphatus: Or, Full and Plain Evidence Concerning Witches and Apparitions (Hardcover)

Joseph Glanvill was alarmed by what he perceived to be a rise of scepticism that accounts of witches and witch-trials were reliable. He wrote this tome, posthumously published in 1681, to convince his contemporaries that they were still worth sniffing out.

Whether he makes his case or not will ultimately be up to the reader. But what you will get is a collection of entertaining folklore, concerning not only witches, but also demon drummers and other alleged diabolical manifestations. All of these stories are written up in a quite good seventeenth century style.

Glanvill strongly influenced Cotton Mather and his -Wonders of the Invisible World-, which clearly owes a great deal to this work. [Got to hand it to Mather; he came up with a far superior title.] Students of the Salem witch trials will want to know this book as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one of the best witch-magic books, April 28, 2000

By 

Ponácz Zoltán - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saducismus Triumphatus: Or, Full and Plain Evidence Concerning Witches and Apparitions (Hardcover)

I think so, this is a very rare book and in spite of this, it has a low price.

This book contains information about the witch culture( in the Middle Ages ) and about magic.

I can recommend this book for everybody.