Witches of the World

by Diane Canwell, Jonathan Sutherland

Today people have the freedom to practice their religions, and this has been extended to modern witches, who are free to practice Wicca, which they regard as their religion, without persecution, while television shows, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, have become to be accepted as entertainment, almost without comment. For those who practiced witchcraft in the past, however, it would have meant immediate arrest, torture and trial, followed by a gruesome and agonizing death. Every misfortune visited on humankind was laid at the door of so called witches, and could be a stillborn child, a deformed calf or a failed crop. Many were executed because they fitted the accepted stereotype, or merely because of the presence of a common blemish on their skin. For Christians, witchcraft came to be equated with heresy. It was believed that witches used evil spirits to help them in their service of the Devil, and bizarre tests were devised to ensure that they were identified. Yet witchcraft could be seen merely as vestiges of old pagan religions, by which man once sought to understand and control nature, and which were largely swept aside by the more formal and developed monotheistic religions. But today, elements of paganism have survived by a belief in good and evil magic, fertility rituals, and the efficacy of curses and charms.

Genres: Nonfiction, Magic

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2007

Reviews

[Jillyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn in to this book by its intriguing front page, but as the adage goes- "Don't judge a book by its cover." This book very basically touches on topics such as the "witch craze", tools, familiars, and different myths/stories of witches throughout the world. I personally felt that though the photography within its pages was stunning, some of the space would have been better spent with more information. I felt myself learning just enough about each topic to be briefly introduced, and nothing more. Having studied this kind of lore for a number of years, I didn't learn anything new, save for maybe a myth or two. I'd only recommend this book for beginners to the subject.

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book because it was on display as one of the new books at the library. Plus the cover is pretty. Coworkers took a few double takes when they saw it, though.

As appealing as the book is, it also seemed extremely far fetched in some parts. I've had a thing for the Salem witch trials since watching The Crucible way back in the day, and unfortunately only a small portion was dedicated to that, but the other "facts" were interesting. I say "facts" because I couldn't help but wonder if the authors had pulled some of this stuff out of their ass.

Also, it's written from the perspective that witches are real. I don't mean Wiccans, or people who truly believe they are witches. I mean it's written like flying on a broomstick is actually possible, and faeries really will beat you up if you mess with their tree.

It's sort of a WTF moment. Repeatedly.

But the images are amazing, and it really is an interesting read.

[Cari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witches of the World was a textbook-like book full of colorful photographs and information about the history of witchcraft/witch trials, different herbs and tools used both in witchcraft and protection from witches, as well as a look at witchcrafts's role in different cultures around the world. It certainly held my interest, but I thought the overall tone of the book was odd... Instead of being written as "these are common beliefs people had about witches in the 17th century," a lot of really off the wall beliefs and superstitions were presented as fact. While the photos were eye-catching, I also felt that some of them didn't really belong, or that their inclusion was at times a bit of a stretch to fill space. My personal favorite part of the book was the section on African witch doctors and voodoo. I thought those photographs were a great fit and extremely interesting.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic book about the witch hunts and the ingredients and objects associated with witches. The photographs which there are many off are stunning even if in some places they don't quite fit with the text. If you are looking for somewhere to start with the history of witch craft this is a good book

[beadesireb Beatriz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen libro básico sobre la historia y la caza de brujas, los ingredientes y objetos que usaban. Lo malo es que siento que hay partes en las que se repiten mucho, además de que me esperaba un libro con la historia de las brujas mas conocidas del mundo como su titulo indica, aun así fue entretenido leerlo.

[Callie R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the poorest representation of occult knowledge I have ever seen. There was only one chapter actually on witches of the world and that was the last chapter. The rest was about witch-hunting and only presented knowledge of witches that the witch-hunters would have been proliferating. I don't even know how this book was allowed on the shelf.