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Article: Witchcraft, Magic and Superstition in England, 1640-70. .(Book Review)
- Article from:
- Albion
- Article date:
- September 22, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 North American Conference on British Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Frederick Valletta. Witchcraft Magic and Superstition in England, 1640-70. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate. 2000. Pp. xv, 272. $74.95. ISBN 0-7546-0244-3.
The most noteworthy feature of this book is that it is not simply about witchcraft trials. Frederick Valletta devotes a great deal of attention to those trials, which increased in number during this period, but he is more concerned with the broader set of beliefs, especially popular beliefs, that sustained them. The main purpose of the book is to explain "how and why popular belief in magic, supernatural events and divine intervention could result in the prosecution of a witch" (p. 9). Valletta explores a broad range ...