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The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Vol. 2 of 3) cover

The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Vol. 2 of 3)

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About This Book

This work republishes a skeptical contemporary account of witchcraft prosecutions in New England, juxtaposing the original author's critiques of sensational narratives with extensive documentary materials, depositions, and polemical arguments opposing reliance on spectral evidence. The editor supplies a prefatory apparatus, annotations, corrected typography, and genealogical and publishing history to clarify textual variants and context while preserving much of the original orthography. The edition therefore combines the author's trenchant rebuttals of prevailing beliefs about invisible agents with an annotated text designed to help readers follow the evidence, reasoning, and rhetorical strategies deployed against accepted accounts of the prosecutions.

About the Author

Calef, Robert portrait

Robert Calef

Robert Calef was an American merchant and author, best known for his critical examination of the Salem witch trials in his work "The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination." Published in three volumes, this comprehensive account challenges the prevailing beliefs of his time regarding witchcraft and superstition. Calef's writings reflect a rationalist perspective, advocating for skepticism towards the witch hunts that plagued New England in the late 17th century. His contributions to the discourse on witchcraft have made him a notable figure in the study of early American history and the cultural context of the witch trials.

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