A solid and complete history of English witchcraft through the Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. No trial goes unmarked or unnoticed, and Sharpe offers the reader a wide variety. And English witchcraft is it's own animal. It is a combination of their own folk and traditional practices, Continental theology, and the singular Anglican Church. "There was no single hegemonic attitude...but rather a plurality of possible positions." The English construction of Christianity allowed for belief in ghosts, fairies and all sorts of spirits. So it was not a great leap to witchcraft once the right religious and political circumstances emerged.

The book also dispels a lot of myths:
1) Men AND women were convicted. Men more often for "cozening" or "cunning" and women for "maleficium"
2) Accused were sentenced to hang not burned (unless they committed treason)
3) The stats actually prove James I's reign actually had less convictions than during Elizabeth I'd reign
4) Pacts with the devil and having familiars are distinctly English
5) Exorcism was equated with popery and was banned in cases of possession and witchcraft.
6) Women made up the largest number of not only the accused, but the accusers.
7) People weren't brought to court for petty acts like spoiled milk or a sick pig. Accusations like that were added on after more serious crimes.

The author wholly acknowledges the works of researchers that came before him, and how interpretations have evolved over time. The records of the Home Office will always be incomplete, especially during this time period, but Sharpe utilizes it to the fullest. I consider this one an excellent resource. ( )

James Sharpe is a well known historian on the topic of witchcraft in early modern England. The witchcraft trials in England were different from their contiental counterparts and that becomes apparent in this book. Sharpe comes to some great conclusions. Mr. Sharpe analyzed how tensions between church, state, and society were able to produce such widespread fear that led to the witchcraft accusations and trials. I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the subject. ( )