{"product_id":"the-history-of-witchcraft-and-demonology","title":"The History of Witchcraft and Demonology","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1926, \u003cstrong\u003eThe History of Witchcraft and Demonology by Montague Summers\u003c\/strong\u003e is an expansive study of European witchcraft, demonology and supernatural belief. Written with the formidable learning and distinctive perspective for which Summers became known, it draws upon theology, historical accounts, witch-trial material and literary sources to examine how witches and demons were understood across centuries of European history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSummers approaches his subject very differently from the detached historical scholarship familiar to modern readers. He regarded witchcraft and demonic forces as genuine realities, rather than treating them solely as products of folklore, religious anxiety or persecution. This conviction gives the book its unusual character and was already remarked upon by contemporary critics, making it as revealing of Summers's own intellectual world as it is of the older traditions he investigates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross six substantial chapters, Summers examines the witch as heretic, demons and familiars, the witches' sabbath, witchcraft in scripture, demonic possession and spiritism, and representations of witches in dramatic literature. His discussion moves between religious doctrine, accounts of supernatural phenomena, historical cases and the cultural imagination, assembling a broad portrait of the beliefs that surrounded European witchcraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe original publication was a substantial scholarly volume of 353 numbered pages, accompanied by eight plates. Summers's interpretations should not be mistaken for modern historical consensus, but his work remains significant as an example of twentieth-century demonological writing and as a remarkable collection of older traditions, sources and arguments concerning witchcraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNearly a century after its appearance, The History of Witchcraft and Demonology remains compelling for readers of witchcraft history, demonology, folklore, religious history and occult literature. This Lost Book Project edition returns Summers's extraordinary study to physical form, carefully presented for readers and collectors who value historically significant works that deserve to remain in print.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Lost Book Project","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45923721150599,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/7815\/8471\/files\/TheHistoryofWitchcraftandDemonology.png?v=1790197467","url":"https:\/\/www.thelostbookproject.com\/products\/the-history-of-witchcraft-and-demonology","provider":"The Lost Book Project","version":"1.0","type":"link"}