Witchcraft and Black Magic

By Peter Haining

Book Overview

Discusses the history and practices of witchcraft and black magic. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553079964
• ISBN13: 9780553079968
• Release Date: April 1973
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 159 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

beautiful

I got this book mostly for the illustrations. I am very happy with it and love looking at it (I am also reading it). :)

A great collection of occult illustrations

I am a professional artist who was frightened, amazed and excited by this book as a child. I first came across this book when my cousin Anna, who collected Psychedelic posters and creepy occult books showed it to me in the 70's when I was about eight years old. What struck me were its lurid and sensational illustrations which were, although scary for a child to look at, quite mysterious and even beautiful. One of my favorites was the freaky picture of a possesed man. I could not sleep for days after seeing that one. At the time, I thought of that book as the scariest thing in the world, and it looms big in my memories. It is a general history of witchcraft and Satanism from ancient Rome to Renaissance Europe and the American Colonies, and gives a cursory view of notable and notorious figures like Matthew Hopkins, who made a living convicting old spinster ladies of being witches and giving them trial by water, which no one survives. "If you die, you are innocent. If you live, then you will be burned as a witch!"... Lovely! If you are looking for a first rate collection of occult illustrations and a good basic history of witchcraft, then I highly recommend this slim, but pithy volume. But if you have an active imagination, you will have nightmares. My childhood friend Hank stole my copy and I just ordered another one...I can't wait until it gets here.