Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Kindle
$9.99

Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$21.71 - $24.12

Paperback
$6.33 - $13.71

List Price: $31.99 Details

Save: $7.87 (25%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery March 30 - April 4 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or fastest delivery March 29 - April 1

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$24.12 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

Mapple Shops

Sold by

Mapple Shops

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Tuesday, March 26 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by S&CO Books

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$20.67
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: krs-books

Added

Not added

$25.22
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: MK Express Buy

Added

Not added

$25.39
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Amazon.com

Follow the author

Emerson W. Baker

Follow

A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience (Pivotal Moments in American History) Illustrated Edition

by Emerson W. Baker (Author)

4.5 566 ratings

Part of: Pivotal Moments in American History (28 books)

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$24.12","priceAmount":24.12,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"24","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"12","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"5guh3FzqfvyRUcw7KwnaH4u1%2BhIyGcjJtJA2i40xoOob77Yss2iRfZZI%2BXGvf9piL5uijsc13qsLvHDUopRUDP3UMCxFlahLJpkMDJldFs9WqrjA1iSncX%2BGBPdsYqT%2BDviRb7aM5pIDEk5lCL2O96Aa%2FPGMklRjFK8kKGHhggV8gysZTgVVHt1FbQEGh2dN","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$21.71","priceAmount":21.71,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"71","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"5guh3FzqfvyRUcw7KwnaH4u1%2BhIyGcjJxFMAfI4GqHcLaugMCufvXBMPeKSlQ7VNEOJKsEdgF0qErR6M4VDxmIdAy8MxPQyXkC8WmLf6N%2BIOcVbYdwyamwRT9hCil1bMT3Hx9xjYqJsWJ4KxhcSU2O8hQxIIyw19CLBaEY1l%2FFJWM%2F2lg2aQmVN6qXmjZn7R","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Beginning in January 1692, Salem Village in colonial Massachusetts witnessed the largest and most lethal outbreak of witchcraft in early America. Villagers--mainly young women--suffered from unseen torments that caused them to writhe, shriek, and contort their bodies, complaining of pins stuck into their flesh and of being haunted by specters. Believing that they suffered from assaults by an invisible spirit, the community began a hunt to track down those responsible for the demonic work. The resulting Salem Witch Trials, culminating in the execution of 19 villagers, persists as one of the most mysterious and fascinating events in American history.

Historians have speculated on a web of possible causes for the witchcraft that stated in Salem and spread across the region-religious crisis, ergot poisoning, an encephalitis outbreak, frontier war hysteria--but most agree that there was no single factor. Rather, as Emerson Baker illustrates in this seminal new work, Salem was "a perfect storm": a unique convergence of conditions and events that produced something extraordinary throughout New England in 1692 and the following years, and which has haunted us ever since.

Baker shows how a range of factors in the Bay colony in the 1690s, including a new charter and government, a lethal frontier war, and religious and political conflicts, set the stage for the dramatic events in Salem. Engaging a range of perspectives, he looks at the key players in the outbreak--the accused witches and the people they allegedly bewitched, as well as the judges and government officials who prosecuted them--and wrestles with questions about why the Salem tragedy unfolded as it did, and why it has become an enduring legacy.

Salem in 1692 was a critical moment for the fading Puritan government of Massachusetts Bay, whose attempts to suppress the story of the trials and erase them from memory only fueled the popular imagination. Baker argues that the trials marked a turning point in colonial history from Puritan communalism to Yankee independence, from faith in collective conscience to skepticism toward moral governance. A brilliantly told tale, A Storm of Witchcraft also puts Salem's storm into its broader context as a part of the ongoing narrative of American history and the history of the Atlantic World.

ISBN-10

019989034X
ISBN-13

978-0199890347
Edition

Illustrated
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

October 6, 2014
Part of series

Pivotal Moments in American History
Language

English
Dimensions

9.3 x 1.4 x 6.5 inches
Print length

416 pages
See all details

Frequently bought together

A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience (Pivotal Moments in American History)

$24.12

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Sold by Mapple Shops and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

+

The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege

$23.10

Get it as soon as Saturday, Mar 23

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

One of these items ships sooner than the other.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Marilynne K. Roach
612
Paperback
69 offers from $5.96
Bill O'Reilly
4,445
Hardcover
118 offers from $12.39
Mary Beth Norton
251
Paperback
49 offers from $1.67
Frances Hill
238
Paperback
69 offers from $1.30
Anon
45
Hardcover
11 offers from $29.99
Marion L. Starkey
208
Paperback
87 offers from $1.22

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a necessary book for all of those who seek to find a balanced way to approach the time period, as the scale on which it is written provides an insight not only into the trials themselves, but into the lives of the turbulent and diverse populations that inhabited the American colonies."--Jeff Senger, Nova Religio

"His rock solid historical work and lively, engaging prose made this book both an indispensable contribution to scholarship and a delight to read. I suspect that this is the book on Salem witchcraft for this generation." --Scott D. Seay, Christian Theological Seminary

"...[A] cogent, readable, and comprehensive analysis of the literature on the Salem witch trials.... His emphasis on the choices made by individuals - to take action or remain passive - makes this work a welcome addition to our attempts to understand the significance of the Salem events of 1692." --Journal of American History

"Of many books about the Salem witch-trials, only a few really matter. This is one of them. Combining deep learning and clear-sighted good sense, A Storm of Witchcraft retells a story that has long managed to be familiar yet puzzling and misunderstood. Emerson Baker's masterly dissection of events is both genuinely original and utterly persuasive, not least because the importance of political circumstance, legal expediency and personal relationships seems obvious once it is pointed out. Baker reminds us that witchcraft was above all a religious crime, which took on terrifying significance at a time of extreme danger in New England's history. But his analysis of Salem's causal roots and painfully enduring ramifications does more than just demystify the trials: it illustrates universal truths about human emotions and their place in modern society." --Malcolm Gaskill, author of Witchfinders: a Seventeenth Century English Tragedy

"Baker, professor of history at Salem State College, places the trials in the larger context of American and English history, examining not only their prominent place in our collective memory, but also what made them so different from other witch trials of the era. Baker convincingly demonstrates that the trials were a pivotal point in American history and presents the mass hysteria surrounding them in very poignant terms." --Publisher's Weekly

"This extraordinarily researched, expertly written, and convincing study is suitable for and will appeal to a wide audience." --Library Journal

"By almost any measure, Emerson W. Baker's new history, A Storm of Witchcraft, is a masterpiece. Few volumes pass the exacting standards needed to be described as such. Baker's does.... Anyone interested in the Salem witch trials and the shaping of the nation should treat themselves to this book." --Maine Sunday Telegram

Book Description

A fascinating investigation of the Salem Witch Trials and their lasting influence on America's cultural imagination

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Illustrated edition (October 6, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 019989034X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199890347
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.3 x 1.4 x 6.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #966,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,331 in U.S. Colonial Period History
- #2,685 in Witchcraft Religion & Spirituality
- #16,594 in U.S. State & Local History

Customer Reviews:
4.5 566 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

Important information

To report an issue with this product or seller, click here.

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Emerson W. Baker

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

566 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Tim Brannan

All ministers and learned people knew that witches were real and that they had the power to harm.

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book has been sitting on my must read shelf since the year began. I have read the history of Salem and the Witch trails many times over the years and I still learn something new. This book is filled to brim with new information.
Many books like to focus on victims, and some even focus on "the afflicted"; those that accused their neighbors of witchcraft. Professor Baker though goes much farther than that and talks about the judges, the people in power and in particular the two Mathers, Cotton and Increase, the learned ministers at the center of this storm.

The term "A Perfect Storm" gets thrown around a lot, but here it is appropriate. There was so much going on here that made the witch craze happen here when it was dying out everywhere else. It really was the last gasp of a dying movement of the Old World in the New World.
It was the start of the end of Pre-American Puritanism.
In this book Salem and 1692 take on a level of cultural impact that the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 did in the United Kingdom.

The book is long, 400+ pages, and full of names. But those names belonged to people and those people left others behind. So Prof. Baker also delves into the impact these witch trials had on the new experiment that would become America.
This is easily one of those books you can read, do a little more research or reading on the subject elsewhere, and then come back to and learn something new still.
If I have one complaint, and that is way too strong of a word, it is that the last chapter was not long enough. I would have loved to have learned more about the cultural impact of 1692 on modern culture and how it shaped America. But that would be a complete other book.

Prof. Baker gives us not only a well researched and well-detailed book, he gives us a book that is easy to read and relate to. There was so much going on back in 1692 that we can relate to today.

The history of Salem is the history of America. The witch trials of 1692 are also part of America; our darker past that some (like the town of Danvers to a degree) would like to forget.

I also listened to the audio book. After listening to interviews with Prof. Baker I kinda wish he had narrated it himself.

38 people found this helpful

Helpful

Phil O.

Fantastic, thoughtful, engrossing read, a perfect introduction

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2018

Verified Purchase

If you're interested in learning about the Salem Witch hysteria of 1692/3, you'll find that bookstores and libraries are loaded with options, not to mention websites, podcasts and more - it can be overwhelming. (It's a topic worthy of so many books, of course!) Moreover, academic approaches to this period have varied widely over the last century, with more than a few pushing fairly fringe beliefs (i.e., "It was mold that made them do it!") into unjustified prominence or relying on incomplete records or rumors ("they were fortune-telling!") to advance arguments.

Baker does none of that, with an accessible but scholarly look at the period and the hysteria. It's a solid, modern, thoughtful introduction to the period, covering all of the major bases including the run-up and aftermath, and drawing at least one fascinating parallel to present day.

Instead of approaching the era on a straight timeline, he looks at it thematically - the accusers, the accused, the trials - making it easier to follow key trends and events as they unfold without being overwhelmed by Proctors, Putnams, etc.

Since reading this, I've read a few other modern treatments of the Salem witch crisis; this remains my hands-down favorite, and the first one I'd recommend to anyone looking to learn more about this fascinating period in early American history.

44 people found this helpful

Helpful

Joseph

Great Content, Bad Editor

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

I give it four stars because the content is there and it is a great book for those that want a general overview of what happened and why. Baker is a quality writer and historian. However this editor failed to do their job and there are many mistakes that distract one from the quality writing of the author. Sentence without spaces, typos, and words randomly inserted in wrong places here and there. The first 100 pages has multiple editorial mistakes. I am hoping the remaining 2/3rds are better. I will be avoiding books involving this editor in the future as it is pure laziness and detracts from the works credibility, unnecessarily so. I would hate for someone to start reading this book and return it just because the editor didn't, well, edit. One person complained about font size but it's equivalent to many well known paperback books such as Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse Five, and the like. Fairly standard size in my opinion.

The Salem witch trials were essentially a religious and political act of mass murder involving undesirables and opponents of the "afflicted". It just so happened that these "afflicted" were all directly related by blood or relationships and the accused had wronged them previously. This book does a great job of showing the issues at hand in detail instead of merely going over what happened. The sociopolitical and religious issues of the region and the direct area, the dominance of the accuser families in Salem Village, and the aftermath.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Cathy Witkowski

Interesting read

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

Interesting read. The witchcraft hysteria came from Europe and infected the colonies. It is important to understand that this was a persecution of Christians/Puritans that began in England. For more info, check out The Salem Witch Trial Museum on-line. Some of the original documents and testimonies are shown on-line.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

D. T. Jewett

Print version - dense with small font size

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2022

Verified Purchase

The book is well-researched and well-written. Lots of detail and more than I needed. It has a wonderful index (using about 7 or 8-point type face) and bibliography.

However, the publisher sought to cut down the size of the book by using a 9 to 10 point font with tight kerning, no additional space between paragraphs, and very LARGE (dense) paragraphs. In short, there's damn little white space on the pages. I imagine the publisher's goal was to minimize the printing costs by condensing the book into a smaller form factor.

When I purchase a trade paperback, I expect the typeface to be a reasonable size for reading. This book does not meet my expectations. I believe the publisher has done a disservice to the author.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Happy

Reviewed in Canada on November 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

Xmas present for my daughter

Robin_reviews

Detailed and readable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book was recommended to me by the staff at the House of Seven Gables in Salem. It’s a great read, very detailed in terms of the history of Salem and Massachusetts generally, and meticulously researched with discussion of the individuals involved (including the afflicted, the accused and the judges). It presents a good review of scholarly literature on the Witch Trials and presents a comprehensive and sophisticated account and explanation of what happened. Despite its thoroughness, it’s very accessible and a gripping read.

2 people found this helpful

Ray Richards

Bought as a gift

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

Bought as a gift

Joseph Spicer

Very difficult read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

Couldn't get past the second chapter. The writer does not make it easy. I read up to two books a week, on all sorts of topics but this book, albeit a fascinating take on the phenomenon was impossible to finish.

One person found this helpful

DDD

Didn’t like it.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

I just couldn’t get into it, so gave up. Not a lover of the authors writing style.

See more reviews

Return this item for free