A Delusion of Satan

By Frances Hill,

Book cover of A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials

Book description

This acclaimed history illuminates the horrifying episode of Salem with visceral clarity, from those who fanned the crisis to satisfy personal vendettas to the four-year-old "witch" chained to a dank prison wall in darkness till she went mad. Antonia Fraser called it "a grisly read and an engrossing one."

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked A Delusion of Satan as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I read this book because Salem was founded by another ancestor of mine, Roger Conant. He first settled in Plymouth but could not abide the Pilgrims’ fanatical creed. He was a Puritan but not a religious separatist. Most Puritans had dreams of reforming the Church of England, starting in America. Fortunately, Conant died before the Salem Witch Trials began, for he would have been shocked at these developments. (Unfortunately for him, the town stuck his statue in front of the Witch Museum.) Frances Hill’s book is a blow-by-blow account of how the hysteria of some adolescent girls captured the minds…

Want books like A Delusion of Satan?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like A Delusion of Satan.

Browse books like A Delusion of Satan

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in witch trials, the Salem witch trials, and witchcraft?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about witch trials, the Salem witch trials, and witchcraft.

Witch Trials Explore 17 books about witch trials
The Salem Witch Trials Explore 26 books about the Salem witch trials
Witchcraft Explore 306 books about witchcraft