
The Enemy Within
A Short History of Witch-hunting
John Demos(Author)
Penguin Books Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 29. September 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-0-14-311633-2 (ISBN)
Description
With the vision of an historian and the voice of a novelist, prize-winning author John Demos explores the social, cultural and psychological roots of the scourge that is witch-hunting, both in the remote past and today. "The Enemy Within" chronicles the most prominent witch-hunts of the Western world - women and men who were targeted by suspicious neighbours and accused of committing horrific crimes by supernatural means - and shows how the fear of witchcraft has fueled recurrent cycles of accusation, persecution and purging. A unique and fascinating book, it illuminates the dark side of communities driven to rid themselves of perceived evil, no matter what the human cost.
Reviews / Votes
A searing story, and a remarkable read. Unlike most historians, Demos does not flinch from taking us up close to real characters -- Lyndal Roper, Professor Of Early Modern History, Balliol College, Oxford There is no one better qualified to tell these stories and write a general history of witch-hunting than John Demos The Boston GlobeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
420 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-311633-2 (9780143116332)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2008
Penguin Books
€11.49
Available for download
Person
John Demos is Samuel Knight Professor of History at Yale University and the foremost scholar of early American witchcraft. He is the author of Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England and The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America.