Spellcasters: Witches and Witchcraft in History, Folklore, and Popular Culture [Hardcover]

Pauline Bartel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Delving deeply into their rich and varied history, Spellcasters unveils the most interesting and intriguing details about witches and witchcraft, both fabled and factual, classic and contemporary.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...informative and engaging..." -- Library Journal, November 1, 2000

From the Inside Flap

From early individuals invoking the powerful forces of nature to modern Neo-Pagans celebrating an earth-based spirituality, witches have fascinated us for centuries. Delving deeply into their rich and varied history, Spellcasters unveils the most interesting and intriguing details about witches and witchcraft, both fabled and factual, classic and contemporary.

Author Pauline Bartel taps historical resources, contemporary scholars, and modern-day practitioners to create a complete and compelling account of witchcraft's long history and deep mystery. Spellcasters unearths the origins of common beliefs about witches and surveys the globe for cross-cultural notions about them. It seeks out the remarkable, true stories that make up witchcraft's broad tapestry: the pagan harvest rituals, the strange "facts" about witches' practices, the chilling events of the Inquisition, the witch hunters' machinations, the hysteria in Salem, and the twentieth-century renewal of the ancient traditions.

In addition, this comprehensive volume compiles a witches who's who, recalling the names and deeds of some standout figures associated with the Craft. It examines the foundation and basics of modern witchcraft, with a sampling of simple spells that call for neither blood of bat nor eye of newt. Spellcasters looks also to changing representations of witchcraft in folklore and popular culture, including books, music, film, and television.

Inspired and insightful, Spellcasters takes you on a fantastic, one-of-a-kind journey through the diverse and dramatic world of witchcraft.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878331832
• ISBN-13: 978-0878331833
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spell binding!, December 2, 2000

By 

J. Davis "Amazon junkie" (Central, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spellcasters: Witches and Witchcraft in History, Folklore, and Popular Culture (Hardcover)

I admit that I bought it because my prof wrote it. She has done her research into the history and modernization of the craft in many cultures. She has consulted many pagans and puts forth a pretty unbias view. As a pagan myself, I have read many of the books in the bibliography and I found Pauline's to be informative to the well read and the not so well read. Give it a try, and tell me what you think.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True stories of rituals, events and spell casting history., January 4, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spellcasters: Witches and Witchcraft in History, Folklore, and Popular Culture (Hardcover)

Pauline Bartel's Spellcasters delves into the history and spirituality of witches, providing a history of witchcraft fabled and factual and covering both classic and contemporary witchcraft. From historical sources to modern mysticism and beliefs, Spellcasters presents true stories of rituals, events and history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, Basic Text on Witches and Witchcraft, June 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Spellcasters: Witches and Witchcraft in History, Folklore, and Popular Culture (Hardcover)

Great primer for the unenlightened. I purchased this book after taking a fascinating tour of Salem, Mass. and I think that it has been a perfect complement to the information I learned in Salem. Good, detailed accounts of the Inquisition (i.e., the Great European Witch Hunt) and the Salem Witch Trials. Excellent listing of historic and modern-day witches, wiccans, neo-pagans, etc. Non-judgmental insofar as the book balances its criticism of witch-hunters with the amount of credence it places on so-called "witch powers." Surpisingly well-researched and authoritative (on the historical background section) given the airy, unencumbered prose. You forget that you're reading a compilation of excellent research. The only flaw I could find is that the author insists on spelling out the plots of some "popular culture" pieces (like Harry Potter, Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Rosemary's Baby, etc.) like a schoolmarm would read a story to her pupils. A bit uninspired in the end, but otherwise an interesting read.