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Chadwick Hansen
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Witchcraft at Salem Paperback – August 17, 1985

by Chadwick Hansen (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 34 ratings
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Trial documents and contemporary narratives are used in this discussion of the practice of witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England.
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  1. Print length
    252 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    George Braziller Inc.
  4. Publication date
    August 17, 1985
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0807611379
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0807611371
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ George Braziller Inc.; Reprint edition (August 17, 1985)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 252 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807611379
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0807611371
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

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Chadwick Hansen

Chadwick Hansen

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
34 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

J. Bannister
5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific Read
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2008
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When one considers that carrying a rabbit's foot or cursing a neighbor would brand you a follower of the occult in 17th century New England, it isn't such a stretch to believe that Puritan leaders at Salem in 1692 might be correct in assuming that they were indeed over run with witches. Hansen's book is meticulously researched and his conclusions more than plausible. This might be the best book I have ever read on the subject.
10 people found this helpful
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Judi Gregory
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2014
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Great book! I love to read about the Salem witchcraft days...
One person found this helpful
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Michael Warren
5.0 out of 5 stars Among the best historical writings on Salem, valuable in debates
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2014
Among the best historical writings on Salem.

Hansen gets it, he sees the big picture and introduces a deeper understanding of the oft used term "witch hunt". Hansen writes well and makes his point clearly. He makes the best point about what we need to understand about witchcraft as it relates to modern society. Although the book was written in 1969, it's not really dated in the way most people think. It's straightforward, that's all. Nowadays people want scientific theories, but those don't tell us anything about ourselves the way Hansen's work can. You will have a deep enough, genuine understanding of "witch hunts" by the end of the book to use the term without sounding foolish, unlike most commentators in the media.
4 people found this helpful
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W. Thomas Compton
3.0 out of 5 stars Witchcraft WAS practiced in Salem
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2011
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Interesting premise - witchcraft WAS practiced in New England in the 17th Century! Extensively researched but dry writing style make it a chore to read. I got halfway through and my interest waned.

I was referred to this book by a Robin Cook novel. Curiosity got the best of me and I purchased the book. The novel is based on the more widely held view that ergot caused the hysteria in Salem.
3 people found this helpful
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William Cooke
5.0 out of 5 stars a classic
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2010
For years historians debated whether or not the Salem witch trials were the result of hysteria or just simple fraud. The idea that some of the accused could have been in fact guilty had never been seriously argued before. But, like a skilled prosecutor, Hansen laid out the case against several of the witches. Of course, he also realized that innocent people had been condemned as well and showed how that could have happened. If you are looking for a different perspective on the trials, be sure to read this book. Readers may also be interested in my book, Justice At Salem: Reexamining The Witch Trials  which also offers an alternative theory about what happened in Salem in 1692.
6 people found this helpful
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Bathsheba Robie
1.0 out of 5 stars Insult to Victims
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2010
In fairness to Hansen, I just skimmed this book, looking for information on a specific person. I do however know more than most about the incident, being a lawyer and having studied the trial transcripts and contemporary accounts closely.

Hansen claims that several of the witches were indeed practicing witches/wizards. However, at least in the case of Martha Carrier, his only "evidence" is a citation to Cotton Mather's "Wonders of the Invisible World," Mather's defensive explanation for use of spectral evidence and other bogus trial techniques he and other ministers supported at the trials. Even his own father came out against the use of spectral evidence, although fairly tepidly. If you want to learn about the episode, read Brattle's Letter and Calef's "More Wonders of the Invisible World," which Hansen bad-mouths extensively in this book.

Hansen claims Burroughs was a wizard because he equivocated at his trial. He points out that certain of the women were previously accused of witchcraft, as support for his assertion that they were in fact witches. He castigates one of the witches (forgot her name) for telling Noyes he would die with blood in his mouth, when she was about to be hung. (The man did in fact die of some sort of oral blood clot, which of course proves the woman was a witch.) He praises Rebecca Nurse for dying meekly like a "Christian." [One of the few who escape without some negative comment.] This guy seems to take more an an academic interest in these events. You wonder about the motivation for the book.

With all of his "evidence" being rumor and innuendo, adding nothing to what is already reflected in Cotton Mather's book, you feel as though you are right back in Salem. It could be that some of these people were "cunning" folk who practiced a form of folk magic, but that hardly justifies them being hung. As I said, he really gets going on some of these poor people-makes you wonder where the hate comes from.

Moreover, the theory that all of the accusers (including the tens of confessed witches) suffered from a Charcot/Freudian type hysteria is ludicrous. Some of the other "witchcraft" studies that pin the cause on ergotism, fear of Indian Raids, misogyny, squabbles over land, etc. are at least plausible. Maybe it was a combination of all of these triggers, maybe we will never know, but I doubt it was the old late 19th century female disorder "hysteria" which I don't think is even recognized as a mental disorder by the DSM any more.
8 people found this helpful
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A. Evans
3.0 out of 5 stars ok book
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2009
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This book is definitely for an advanced reader. It is not a storybook. At times, it can be very hard to follow. The author argues the theory that there was indeed some form of witchcraft, either white or black, happening in Salem. He makes some valid points.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Wyrd One
5.0 out of 5 stars Hansen here provides the definitive analysis of the events that ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2017
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Hansen here provides the definitive analysis of the events that took place in and around Salem Village. With an eye for psychology, Hansen delves into the motivations behind the accusations and the psychological aspects of both witchcraft and daemonic possession. Throughout the work, Hansen also correct many of the misconceptions that have perpetuated throughout history and popular culture -- concluding that amongst the injustice, there was in fact some degree of witchcraft present.
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Brian Abraham
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2015
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good
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