A Delusion of Satan cover art

A Delusion of Satan

The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

A Delusion of Satan

By: Frances Hill
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £14.57

Buy Now for £14.57

About this listen

During the bleak winter of 1692 in the rigid Puritan community of Salem Village, Massachusetts, a group of young girls began experiencing violent fits, allegedly tormented by Satan and the witches who worshipped him. From the girls' initial denouncing of an Indian slave, the accusations soon multiplied. In less than two years, 19 men and women were hanged, one was pressed to death, and over a hundred others were imprisoned and impoverished. 

This evenhanded and now-classic history illuminates the horrifying episode with visceral clarity, from the opportunistic Putnam clan, who fanned the crisis to satisfy personal vendettas and greed, to four-year-old "witch" Dorcas Good, who was chained to a dank prison wall in darkness till she went mad. By placing the distant period of the Salem witch trials in the larger context of more contemporary eruptions of mass hysteria and intolerance, the author has created a work as thought-provoking as it is emotionally powerful.

©1995 Frances Hill (P)2014 Tantor Christianity History Law Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts World Magic Magic Users Witchcraft Colonial Period

Critic reviews

"Hill reminds us that 'witch-hunts are still with us'." ( Booklist)
All stars
Most relevant
The why combined with the how of Salem. I could not put it down - being immersed in the treachery of small town life, the squabbles and revenge.

Riveting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
excellent and clearly well researched. I know more about the Pendle Witch trials in Lancashire, England, but have wanted to learn more about the Salam Witch trials as there are some clear links between the two tragedies. I was not disappointed, the author offers up a well researched submission of the SWT's, and is also articulate and to the point. a must read for anyone interested in Witch trial or Anglo-American history.

thorough and academic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
After watching a tv documentary on the witch trials I wanted to learn more about them. This audiobook was exactly what i was looking for. Would highly recommend.

Horrifically interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A brilliant and detailed analysis of the witch hunt and what led to it. Lots of lessons for today. Great narrator too.

Thorough and analytical

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.