Tuesday, October 27, 2009

WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD, PART II

"WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD": A BEGINNING RESEARCHER'S GUIDE TO THE SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS WITCHCRAFT TRIALS OF 1692

PART II

Bibliography

1. Boyer, Paul, and Stephen Nissenbaum. SALEM POSSESSED: THE SOCIAL ORIGINS OF WITCHCRAFT (1974). ST--301.21

An attempt to determine what underlying social, economic, and political conditions could have combined to make the Salem witch trials possible. Index; sources are identified in extensive footnotes. Two-page chronology of Salem in the 17th century.

2. Burr, George Lincoln. NARRATIVES OF THE WITCHCRAFT CASES, 1648-1706 (1914). HU, ST--133.4

Reprinting of several early accounts of supposed instances of witchcraft and of witchcraft trials, including the trials at Salem. Index.

3. Demos, John. ENTERTAINING SATAN: WITCHCRAFT AND THE CULTURE OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND (1982). HG, ST--974.02

An examination of witchcraft in New England which purposely concentrates on events at places other than Salem (but is still useful as an introduction to the time period). Extensive "Notes" section, plus subject and name indexes. A fascinating appendix lists known witchcraft cases in 17th century New England.

4. Drake, Samuel Gardner. ANNALS OF WITCHCRAFT IN NEW ENGLAND, AND ELSEWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES (1977). ST--133.4

Pages 56-218 are a chronological recounting of supposed instances of witchcraft and of witch trials in New England 1636-1712. Index.

5. Drake, Samuel Gardner. THE WITCHCRAFT DELUSION IN NEW ENGLAND: ITS RISE, PROGRESS, AND TERMINATION (1866). ST--133.4

A reprinting of Cotton Mather's WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD and Robert Calef's answering volume, MORE WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD.

6. Ferguson, Henry. ESSAYS IN AMERICAN HISTORY (1969). ST--917.403

A book of essays, one of which is an extended examination of the witch hysteria in New England ("The Witches," pp. 61-110). An interesting, well-written look at the period that speculates in learned fashion on the causes and effects of the witch delusion. Includes eight pages of notes on sources.

7. Fowler, Samuel Page. SALEM WITCHCRAFT: COMPRISING MORE WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD AND WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD (1865). ST--133.4

Another reprint of the Mather and Calef books about the Salem trials. An appendix lists every Salem Village area person known to have been accused of witchcraft, including children.

8. Gragg, Larry Dale. A QUEST FOR SECURITY: THE LIFE OF SAMUEL PARRIS, 1653-1720 (1990). HG--B Parris

A biography of Samuel Parris, a Salem clergyman whose household was the center of much of the witch activity reported at Salem. Bibliography and index.

9. Gragg, Larry Dale. "Under An Evil Hand." American History Illustrated 27 (March/April 1992): 54-59. HG--P

An illustrated article about the witchcraft trials.

10. Hall, Michael G. THE LAST AMERICAN PURITAN: THE LIFE OF INCREASE MATHER, 1639-1723 (1988). HG--B Mather

A biography of the elder Mather. Includes a section on the Salem witchcraft trials (pp. 256-264), and a portrait of William Stoughton, chief justice at the witch trials. Bibliography and index.

11. Hansen, Chadwick. WITCHCRAFT AT SALEM (1969). ST--133.4

A popular account of the witch trials, well-written and easy to read. Hansen believes that, while innocent people were indeed hung as witches, witchcraft and folk magic had indeed been practiced by several of the accused (among them Bridget Bishop and Wilmot Redd). Annotated bibliography and index.

12. Jackson, Shirley. THE WITCHCRAFT OF SALEM VILLAGE (1956). ST--133.4

Part of the "Landmark Books" series, written by the author of the famous short story, "The Lottery". A popular and well-written account of the witch hysteria and trials, written in part as a response to the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s. There is a list of persons hung as witches on page 150 (one man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death with stones for refusing to plead guilty or not guilty. Giles Corey's story was the inspiration for Miss Jackson's "The Lottery".) Index.

13. Powers, Edwin. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN EARLY MASSACHUSETTS (1966). ST--364

A history of crime and punishment in colonial Massachusetts (1620-1692). Includes a long chapter titled "Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live" which includes much information on the Salem witch trials. Excellent index, extensive notes section.

14. RECORDS OF SALEM WITCHCRAFT, COPIED FROM THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (1971). HU--133.4

A reprint of the 1864 printing of the text of existing transcripts of Salem witchcraft examinations and trial proceedings. Divided chronologically and by person accused (because legal proceedings involved action against one accused witch at a time). Includes an index of plaintiffs (accusers).

15. Richardson, Katherine. THE SALEM WITCHCRAFT TRIALS (1983). HU--345.744

Interesting booklet issued by the Essex Institute. While it is a good introduction to the witchcraft trials, it is most notable for its fascinating collection of illustrations and photographs. The illustrations include portraits of most of the trial judges and sketches of homes and buildings associated with the witch trials. There are also black-and-white photographs of still-existing sites. Three useful lists are also included: persons who died as a result of witchcraft accusations (executions and those who died in prison); those who were condemned but not executed; and a list of those persons who made accusations of witchcraft against others. Also includes a selected bibliography and 2 maps of the Salem area circa 1692.

16. Sewall, Samuel. THE DIARY OF SAMUEL SEWALL, 1674-1729 (1973). ST--917.44

A printing of Sewall's diary in two volumes. Sewall was a clergyman and judge at the Salem witch trials. Volume 1 has coverage of the witch trial period, and also has a chronology of Samuel Sewall 1652-1730. No index, but a lengthy Table of Contents can help the researcher locate desired information.

17. Silverman, Kenneth. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF COTTON MATHER (1984). HU--B Mather

A biography of the younger Mather, who wrote WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD. There is quite a bit of Salem witch trial information in a chapter titled "Letters of Thanks From Hell" (pp.83-137). Index (look under "spectral evidence" and "witchcraft").

18. Starkey, Marion Lena. THE DEVIL IN MASSACHUSETTS: A MODERN ENQUIRY INTO THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS (1989). ST--133.4

A well-written and extensively researched look at the Salem witch trials. It is notable for the author's ability to make many of the players in the tragedy come alive. It was first published in 1949, and was written in part as a reaction to and attempt to explain the social dynamics of the Holocaust. Index; annotated bibliography; and "Notes" section.

19. Tree, Christina. HOW NEW ENGLAND HAPPENED: A GUIDE TO NEW ENGLAND THROUGH ITS HISTORY (1976). ST--917.404

A travel guide to historical New England. Pages 45-56 include a brief summary of the witch trials and list still-existing sites connected with the trials. Includes name and place indexes.

20. Upham, Charles Wentworth. SALEM WITCHCRAFT: WITH AN ACCOUNT OF SALEM VILLAGE AND A HISTORY OF OPINIONS ON WITCHCRAFT AND KINDRED SUBJECTS (1959). ST--133.4 (2 vols.)

A reprinting of Upham's classic (some would say biased) account of the witch trials. The book consists of four parts: Part 1 is a history of Salem Village; Part II is a general history of witchcraft in the American colonies; Part III is a detailed examination of the Salem witchcraft trials. The concluding section is a Supplement with several appendices. Volume I of this reprinting includes an index to both volumes, plus a map of Salem Village circa 1692.

Copyright © 2009 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.

Thomas Pearson
Special Collections Dept.
St. Louis Public Library

To see a complete list of our online indexes and bibliographies:

http://previous.slpl.org/libsrc/lisindex.htm

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