"Intelligently written"
"Scholarly and exhilarating"
"Carefully documented... outstanding artwork"

This absorbing volume features wise women, Wiccans and warlocks alongside the history of the human tragedy of the European witch-burning era and the Salem trials, and the heroes who risked torture to speak out against the madness.

Sorcerors Morgan le Fay, Melusine and Medea are among the diverse and infamous characters whose stories are told. Less well known are the ordinary victims, mainly women denounced by ignorance and ill-will, but sometimes men too, and children as young as four years of age.

Because the arts of magic, and the fear of them, are timeless and universal, the scope of this exploration covers all continents and eras.