The Salem Witch Trials Reader [Paperback]

Frances Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

Against the backdrop of a Puritan theocracy threatened by change, in a population terrified not only of eternal damnation but of the earthly dangers of Indian massacres and recurrent smallpox epidemics, a small group of girls denounces a black slave and others as worshipers of Satan. Within two years, twenty men and women are hanged or pressed to death and over a hundred others imprisoned and impoverished. In "The Salem Witch Trials Reader," Frances Hill provides and astutely comments upon the actual documents from the trial--examinations of suspected witches, eyewitness accounts of "Satanic influence," as well as the testimony of those who retained their reason and defied the madness. Always drawing on firsthand documents, she illustrates the historical background to the witchhunt and shows how the trials have been represented, and sometimes distorted, by historians--and how they have fired the imaginations of poets, playwrights, and novelists. For those fascinated by the Salem witch trials, this is compelling reading and the sourcebook.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frances Hill is an accomplished journalist and novelist whose previous book on the Salem witch trials, A Delusion of Satan, was called "carefully researched and compelling" by Karen Armstrong, the author of A History of God. She lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030680946X
• ISBN-13: 978-0306809460
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Salem Witch Trials Enthusiasts!!!, May 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Salem Witch Trials Reader (Paperback)

Finally, original texts! Those of us interested in the Salem Witch Trials must thank Ms. Hill for providing us with the opportunity, finally, to have access to many invaluable first-hand accounts of this most fascinating moment in history. Reading this extraordinary volume provides not only a political, religious, and historical context for the trials, but fills one with a real sense of the emotional response experienced by both victims and accusers. In modernizing spelling, Ms. Hill has rendered these texts a bit more readily comprehensible, yet she has changed neither the actual text nor its meaning. For students and enthusiasts of this subject alike, this is an absolute necessity!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to have all of this under one cover., December 13, 2003

By 

dinska "phoenixwinged" (Chicagoland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Salem Witch Trials Reader (Paperback)

This truly a great book on the subject of the Salem witch trials. First, it offers historical context presenting period works, and then it expands to sampling the works written on the event since, showing the fascination we hold for it.

The author begins with writings of the time, things that Salem residents would have come across in their own lives. Past that, she moves into the actual event, showing all sorts of personal accounts. Alongside these she offers brief biographies of the authors and certain named VIPs, which are helpful if you are reading on the subject for the first time.

One of the things that was impressed upon me while reading this was just how many time periods have been caught up by the trials. Immediately after they took place there was an effort to come to grips with what had happened. From then until now each era had their own take on the subject. Fiction seems to have followed a similar pattern. Not being a literary historian, I was surprised that Nathaniel Hawthorn's work on the subject was not the first fictional treatment! She offers works up to the present day, ending with the 1990's.

The only thing I would wish improved upon is that the commentary's typeface would be changed so that the eye can switch easily from the works shown and the author's thoughts.

It would be very hard for anyone to have copies of all the books and essays excerpted here. That there is knowledgeable commentary is a plus. I found it plainly compelling reading. If the Salem witch trials interest you this should be one of the books you own on the subject. It will be a great compliment to any conventional history of the event, which this book does not necessarily replace.

23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book could not be bettered, October 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Salem Witch Trials Reader (Paperback)

This book will give anyone interested in the horror of the 1692 witchhunt, including those who loved Ms Hill's engrossing A DELUSION OF SATAN, a fascinating read through the exciting original documents. Indian raids, witchcraft, religious outrages and the miscarriages of justice that led to the terrible hangings are all revealed as if we were there. It's hard to imagine how this book could be bettered.