The Witchcraft Delusion in New England (Vol. 1-3) is a seminal collection that encapsulates the fervor and introspection surrounding the witch trials that marred early American history. This anthology brings together a compendium of narratives, letters, and trial records that vividly depict the hysteria and the contrasting rational responses to the witchcraft accusations in 17th-century New England. The diversity in literary stylesfrom firsthand accounts to reflective essaysprovides a nuanced understanding of the socio-political and religious contexts that fueled the witch trials. Particularly, the collection highlights the tension between Cotton Mathers justifications for the trials and Robert Calefs critique of them, offering readers a comprehensive examination of the eras conflicting ideologies. The contributing authors, Cotton Mather and Robert Calef, represent polarized perspectives on the witch trials, encapsulating the complex interplay of fear, superstition, and rationality characteristic of Puritan New England. Their works align with larger historical and cultural movements, reflecting the perennial human struggle with ambiguity and fear of the unknown. This anthology, by presenting these contrasting views, unearths the multifaceted narratives that have shaped cultural and historical discourses on morality, justice, and religion. The Witchcraft Delusion in New England is an invaluable resource for readers interested in the dynamics of social hysteria, legal history, and cultural conflict. It offers an unparalleled insight into how societies grapple with phenomena that lie beyond the rational understanding of their time. This collection is recommended for scholars, students, and anyone intrigued by the interplay of history, belief, and the human condition, promising a riveting journey through a tumultuous period of American history.

Reproduction of the original: The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination by Cotton Mather, Robert Calef

The Witchcraft Delusion of 1692 is such an interesting resource because it was published nearly 200 years after the Salem Witch Trials, and thus it reflects the radically changed attitudes toward the Trials over that time.

On fire for God--a sweeping history of puritanism in England and America Begun in the mid-sixteenth century by Protestant nonconformists keen to reform England's church and society while saving their own souls, the puritan movement was a major catalyst in the great cultural changes that transformed the early modern world. Providing a uniquely broad transatlantic perspective, this groundbreaking volume traces puritanism's tumultuous history from its initial attempts to reshape the Church of England to its establishment of godly republics in both England and America and its demise at the end of the seventeenth century. Shedding new light on puritans whose impact was far-reaching as well as on those who left only limited traces behind them, Michael Winship delineates puritanism's triumphs and tribulations and shows how the puritan project of creating reformed churches working closely with intolerant godly governments evolved and broke down over time in response to changing geographical, political, and religious exigencies.