About the author
Robert Thurston is the author of The Witch Hunts: A History of the Witch Persecutions in Europe and North America, published by Routledge in an original and a revised edition. The book traces the European witch trials of roughly 1400 to 1700, asking why the persecutions arose, spread, and eventually declined, who was accused, and what role beliefs about magic played in fueling them. Thurston locates the roots of the phenomenon further back, in a growing sense of threat to Western Christendom that took shape centuries before the trials themselves, and describes the emergence of what he calls a persecuting society. Written for students and general readers of early modern history rather than specialists, the book surveys the social, religious, and legal conditions that allowed the hunts to take hold on both sides of the Atlantic.
📖 Where to start with Robert Thurston
💬 What our editors say about Robert Thurston's books
“Thurston delivers a compelling historical analysis that illuminates the tragic shift towards widespread torture during the witch hunts. While the academic depth is impressive for those studying early modern legal history, casual…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Witch Hunts: A History of the Witch Persecutions in Europe and North America
“Thurston delivers a rigorous academic examination that may overwhelm casual readers seeking narrative thrills rather than historical analysis. The text is dense with legal and sociological terminology, focusing heavily on the…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Witch Hunts: A History of the Witch Persecutions in Europe and North America
