A very thought provoking read. As always when reading Hutton, what you thought you knew is challenged and the wider context for societies views about the image of the witch is put forward in its proper context. ( )

Finally as in I finally finished this book. A good academic overview of the concept of witch and the history of the witch over time. In some places I wish Hutton had been more thorough and in others a little less. ( )

A very thought provoking read. As always when reading Hutton, what you thought you knew is challenged and the wider context for societies views about the image of the witch is put forward in its proper context. ( )

"The Witch: A History of Fear, From Ancient Times to the Present" is very true to its title. It is an anthropological, deeply thorough study of the practice of magic and witchcraft. Hutton explains how the study of witchcraft broadened to include cross-cultural comparisons, a re-evaluation of ancient texts, as well as shamanism, at least for comparison. We learn that witchcraft trials were not only a consequence of political machinations and social turmoil, but a thousands year old evolution. The Christian witch is a result of Mesopotamian demonology and the concept of astral magic, Persian dualism, Hebrew monotheism, and the Roman witch figure. Most interesting was the two sided effect of Rome conquering Egypt: the Romans introduced a fear if witches but Egyptian magic leaked out to the rest of the empire, solidifying their mystical reputation. But while the conceptual roots of witchcraft (Ch 5) is ancient, as a religion it is very new. We are NOT the "daughters of the witches you tried to burn." And while Hutton's book focuses on the West, Native and African traditional practices are included in the discussion, as well as the consequences of colonialism and forced conversion. In Pt 3, the Witch Hunts of 1530s to 1630s are examined and Hutton shows their expertise as a British folk historian.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. Hutton actively avoids generalizations or pin pointing precise causes. They approach it all with an academic, objective eye. It's not a quick read, but if you're serious about the subject, you can't get much better. ( )

This extremely detailed non-fiction book is fascinating, but certainly not a light read. Allocate quite a bit of time to tackle this. It is very much like a textbook, and I think if it had been presented more like one, with images breaking up the text more, it might have been easier to read. The information is in-depth, but without being too wordy. The global context is particularly interesting. ( )