Witchcraft and Black Magic

This fascinating volume delves into the history of witchcraft and demonology. Witchcraft and Black Magic gives an extensive history of what Montague Summers deems to be Satanic practises.

First published in 1946, this handbook gathers vivid detail from a wealth of sources and references that enhance its overview of black magic. Montague Summers’ research explores numerous court records, personal accounts, and classic works of literature, as well as taking evidence from the Bible. A devout Catholic, Summers writes about witchcraft in great detail, examining historic events, such as the Salem witch trials, with a close eye. The chapters in this chilling volume include:

- What is Witchcraft? How Does One Become a Witch?

- The Familiar, in Human Shape and Animal

- Witchcraft at Cambridge and Oxford

- The Origins of Witchcraft

- The Library of Witches

- The Magus (1801) of Francis Barrett

- Sympathetic Magic

Complete with an introduction to the folklore and history of witchcraft, Read & Co. Books has republished this classic guide to black magic in a brand new edition. A must-read for conspiracy theorists and those with an interest in the historical background of witchcraft.

Author Biography

Augustus Montague Summers (1880-1948) was an English author and clergyman born in Bristol. Despite initially studying to work for the Church of England, Summers converted to Catholicism and worked as a teacher of English and Latin. He’s well-known for his studies of the supernatural, and his most notable works are History of Witchcraft and Demonology, 1926, and his 1928 translation of the 15th century manual for witch hunters, the Malleus Maleficarum.