A fascinating, fact-based look at the true history of the origins and persecutions of historical "witchcraft" and the impact on the invention of modern Wicca and witchcraft. Surprisingly easy to read, Timbers' writing drew me in and put me in the times and places long ago when people (often but not always women, usually outcasts or destitute, almost always in conflict with the accuser) were accused, investigated, tortured and sometimes executed for this nebulous, church-defined "crime." I liked how Timbers pointed out the areas of modern misconception and then explained the reality. The last chapter on modern witchcraft was also interesting, especially on the sources for much of the typical theory, rites and rituals.

4.5 "straightforward, fascinating, well structured" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Pen & Sword History for an e-copy. I am providing my honest review. This was released Feb. 2020.

This is my Halloween Read of 2022 !

Ms. Timbers is a lecturer at Trent University in Peterborough Ontario and this subject is one of her specialties.

The author takes a secular, intelligent and convincing stance on the history of witchcraft, magic and Satanism in Western Europe. Through careful research and deep thought she presents a history of this area without spiritual overtones or harsh judgements. The writing is clear and understandable and she builds in carefully and sequentially a narrative that is most alluring to many of us. To historical fact she adds sociological understanding and psychological and political insights into why these events transpired. She also debunks not only Church shenanigans and patriarchal struggles but also the false extreme understanding that feminist scholars took to further their own political agendas in the twentieth century. There are wonderful summaries and conclusions in each and every chapter. The text is also supplemented with photographs and illustrations. The end is full of further recommended reading if one wishes to deepen their understanding on these subject areas.

My one niggle was that I did not usually appreciate the author's sense of humor which at times took me away from a very frightening narrative ! At times it felt just a touch arrogant !

This was a superb treat to discern all sorts of trickery and carefully illuminate a huge amount of subject matter in an intelligent and rather brief work !

Needed to beef up this section of our library and this book came out just in time. Great overview of the topics.

An interesting look into the history of witchcraft and witch magic. I found so much of this fascinating, it was clearly well researched and not your average "history" text.

I did a witchcraft module at uni so this was such an interesting read for me, I loved the depth this went into and how it opened up for more research on the topics.

What a fascinating find! Especially in the month of October. Some of the information I knew and some I didn't but I loved the way the author wrote the information, the reading was easy and immersive. If anything this book has taught me society is crazy....

Highly recommend it for the month of October or those who are interested in magic and witchcraft!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a fascinating look at the history of witch hunts and witchcraft. One thing that really surprised me was the revelation that there weren’t actually any witches during the trials. Instead, people kept making up stories, which eventually led us to modern Wicca.

Thanks to the publishers, author and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I found this book absolutely riveting and learned so much that I didn't know.
The section on Inquisitions was particularly enlightening and the torture section was adequately horrifying. I also liked the cheeky reference to modern witchcraft's attempted foil on Donald Trump's presidency.
I have read some histories on witchcraft and did believe that the witch hunts in Europe were mainly misogynistic and a reflection of the patriarchal society that women lived in at the time - being a feminist that really got my goat (read the book to get that reference) but I was interested in the theory presented in this book that it was about much more including poverty and superstition.
A great read - highly recommended for readers who want to know more about witchcraft than the middle ages and malleus maleficarum.

I wasnt able to download the book prior to netgalley making it unavailable. I did however purchase the book and poked thru it. It has a lot of interesting information and I could see myself using it as a resource but, I don’t think I’m the right audience for reference material so I will not post a review.

Educational insights into the actual beliefs regarding magic and witchcraft and treatment of those who were accused of practicing it.
A History of Magic and Witchcraft: Sabbats, Satan and Superstitions in the West by Frances Timbers gives a thorough insight from the antiquities to mid 20th centuries using primary sources. Not only does the author educate us on the actual treatment and beliefs of the times (and how they varied in different Western countries) she also shows us how many modern myths and false beliefs (such as all witches being midwives and healers) arose and why they are false.
Highly recommend.

A flawless summary of the history of witchcraft in Europe. Seriously, it is surprising that there is no mistake in this book. Each theory, each idea, each figure and each aspect that shaped the figure of the witches and their Craft is explained in detail. It did get heavy on some occasions, but its reading is a constant brain orgasm!

I have always found witchcraft to be a fascinating topic. Whether it was the women persecuted in literature and legends, for their supposed usage of black magic, or the historical crimes against women, with the rampant spread of accusals and subsequent murders, it is the female sex that have been most associated with the art and suffered much because of it.

This non-fiction covered both topics above, as well as focusing on many more instances of gender unbalance and oppression. It is impossible to discuss witchcraft without taking these factors into consideration and I really appreciated how well-explained yet sensitive this was on the subjects.

Whilst this was what I personally longed for, and received, within the book, much more was also included. An overview of what was later covered formed the opening, elements from Greek mythology, fairy tales, and our own history were used to illustrate the points featured throughout, and a more modern evaluation of witchcraft, in the spread of Wicca and Pagan belief, concluded it.

I enjoyed this non-fiction immensely. It was detailed without feeling over-burdened with fact, clear and concise without being simplistic, and used an abundance of references without ever seeming bogged down in too many stories.

This is not your Harry Potter, Bewitched story. It's not waving your hands and getting everything you want. It's about blood, pain and torture to get you to admit to anything and to incriminate the ones you loved most. How many real witches were killed? Few if any. This is a great book, full of history and written with heart. Well written and researched. I'm glad I was able to read it. This book is for anyone interested in witchcraft and should be read by those with who want to know about how " real" witchcraft was. I received this book from Net Galley and the publisher for a honest review.

A History of Magic and Witchcraft
Sabbats, Satan and Superstitions in the West
by Frances Timbers
Pen & Sword
Pen & Sword History
History | Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 03 Feb 2020
Goodreads :https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3303391114

A History of Magic and Witchcraft is not about cauldrons and jars of insects. This book is an in dept look at how Magic and witchcraft came into being. It is a look at the origins of not only the practices but also the words themselves.

Timbers uncovers the truth behind the nature of our understanding of what magic and witchcraft is. Unlike most books that aim to educate their reader Timber expresses personality in the form of bracketed comments. It made the piece easier to read, like having a friendly discussion with a tutor rather than sitting in a classroom.

It is obvious from the tone of the book that we are digesting this information as people with an understanding of feminism but also equality. (Do not let that F word scare you. It is not about hating men just being equal to them.) If Timber is anything in this book she is vocal about dispelling misconceptions that women were the only ones to suffer during witch trials.

I for one learned so much during my read that it will definitely be a reread. One such thing I discovered was that Gail's Duncan is not just an Outlander character and was a real woman who was tried as a witch. I also found the details of the conversion to Catholicism, particularly that of the Roman Catholic Church interesting.

Really, really enjoyed this book. I found it very informative and learned quite a bit about history. Many things I did not even have an inkling about! Will definitely keep referring to this book and likely will get a hard copy. Thank you so much!

This book is incredibly interesting and traces the history of witchcraft from antiquity (Greek cultures and Roman Empire) to modern times and includes discussions on gender. She begins by explaining the definitions of witchcraft and magic, thus making clear to the reader what kind of differentiations there are.
Then comes the historical analysis, beginning with Greek and Roman magic and witchcraft, followed by Medieval times, the witchhunt craze up until contemporary strands of witchcraft and magic.

What I found compelling is that Timber clearly shows how the interpretation of what deontes witchcraft is arbitrary and usually based on the interpreters beliefs: a ritual expresses a religious belief and what one person sees as a religious practice is "witchcraft" and blasphemic for a person with another set of beliefs and gods.
She also shows how the practitioners of magic are treated differently, with men receiving more lenience and less of a bad reputation than men. Historically, men have been tradated as mages and great wielders of power while women are wicked, unstable and out for revenge.
Which is funny because the actual practice was oftentimes reversed, such as in Ancient Greece where men would use magic love spells to force women to fall for them or wish them evil if they rejected a man while women used love spells for healthy pregnancies, keeping a good relationship or to protect themselves from domestic violence.

But I do have criticism. The book is focused on Western (usually Christian) interpretations and includes no discussion outside of Europe and thus Eurocentric. What I also noticed is that she writes very bold historical and interpretational claims without citing sources or fully explaining her argument. I oftentimes wished this academic book fully leaned into its academic nature because as it stands, there are elements that are historically questionable and a reader can't check the facts for accuracy.
She also mixes up interpretation and e.g. talks about traditionally Jewish stories but only gives Christian interpretations, however, Jewish and Christian religious traditions are oftentimes wildly different and this is neither mentioned nor explored.
Timber also tends to be a bit inprecise and talks e.g. about Greek culture but Ancient Greece was NOT a unified nation with one homogenous culture. Athenians and Spartans and all other cultures were wildly different and constantly competed against each other, not to mention that non-Greek cultures would invade territories. Ancient Greece is a complex, living society filled with many different cultural and "national" identities. There is no one Ancient Greece.

It's this lack of attention to detail - lack of sources and footnotes, unclear sources for interpretation or lack of differentiation, imprecise cultural identities, etc. - that drag the overall quality down.

It's an amazing introduction with a lot of great information but it could've used a bit more editing and academic rigour. However, don't feel deterred from my criticism, the book is still interesting and worth your time.

n amazing read for anyone that's interested not only in witchcraft and magic, but in religion and history as a whole. You can tell there was a strong, careful investigation process behind it that also manages to be respectful to all religions and stories mentioned and remain impartial enough for the message to be delivered straight and clear.

Note: Violence is part of this book for those that are sensitive to violence.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

This is quite a comprehensive historical body of work about Witches and Witchcraft . The author does a remarkable amount of research to introduce the reader of the history back to Greek times forward to European witch hunts to the current beliefs and history in America. I enjoyed such a well rounded view of the cultures, customs and belief systems that got us to where we are today with prejudice still remaining of witches.
The author has included current beliefs and teachings by the Christian church that influence people even today.

I found this a fascinating read as a Witch and look forward to adding it to my library in hard cover. I highly recommend this book for all who have a interest in the history of witchcraft . Very well done to the author.

You know what they say, 'History is written by the winners'. A History of Magic and Witchcraft takes a deeper look at the misnomers, misconceptions, and all-out falsehoods of magic and witchcraft throughout history.

Timbers gives a detailed description of witchcraft and early earth-based practice through an unbiased lens from it's early beginnings to the "witch-craze" or how the witch-hunts began, and through the origins of Modern Wicca and witchcraft practices of today.

This book is very detailed and provides many in-depth stories with historical references and the evolution of practice and belief structures through time. The entire text was well-researched and full of academic and historical text references.

*Just bit of a warning that some of the chapters about witch hunts are bloody and maybe a little gory... so just you know, watch out if you're a bit squeamish.*

I highly recommend for those looking into the origins and historical progression of witchcraft through inception to modern practice.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book is a very detailed history of magic and witchcraft, covering mentions of magicians and scorceresses back to the time of Greek and Roman mythology.

The book covers the evolution of the use of magic, from the time when magic was considered to be harmless charms and the use of healing herbs to devil worship and demonology wherein we get our familiar stereotypes of evil witches out to harm others.

The author also focuses on societal attitudes towards practictioners of magic, and how and why that has changed throughout the centuries. These were generally driven by the eventual wide-spread acceptance of Christianity and influenced by the belief of women as the weaker sex, emotional and susceptible to the influence of evil forces.

This was a very well-researched, academic recounting, full of facts and case studies, as well as ancient text references. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about the origins of magic and witchcraft.