The Last Witch Craze: John Aubrey, The Royal Society and the Witches

Name: The Last Witch Craze: John Aubrey, The Royal Society and the Witches
Brand: Amberley
SKU: 9781445698427
Price: 20.0 GBP
Availability: InStock

£20.00

Description

The seventeenth-century man of letters John Aubrey is remembered, above all, for his great biographical work, Brief Lives. He also wrote pioneering works dealing with education, geology, languages, archaeology, history, place-name study and folklore. Aubrey was a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Other early members of the Royal Society included Robert Boyle, the greatest scientist of his generation and Henry More, one of England's leading philosophers. Aubrey, Boyle and More promoted new thinking about the natural world and championed the use of experimental science. They also believed in demons and angels and the authenticity of witchcraft.

Aubrey recommended ways of countering witchcraft through horseshoe magic and suggested that gifted schoolboys should be taught to communicate with good spirits through the use of crystal balls. Boyle publicly endorsed the reality of witchcraft based on a case study from France. Henry More attempted to explain scientifically how witches could leave their bodies behind them when attending sabbat meetings.

The Last Witch Craze tells the story of these men and others who attempted to reconcile science and sorcery. Their ideas were taken very seriously by others and provided an intellectual justification for the last lethal witch craze in Britain and America. Two fellows of the Royal Society - Joseph Glanvill and James Long - actively participated in witch hunts.

In New England, those who persecuted the witches of Salem were fully aware that several distinguished members of the Royal Society of London were believers in the reality of witchcraft. The book also reveals that John Aubrey had a dark secret. His magical notebook survives in the archives of Oxford University.

It makes clear that Aubrey personally practised a form of black magic and used charms to conjure up demons.

DELIVERY

We offer free standard UK delivery on all orders over £50.

Orders up to £30 are charged a flat fee of £4.95

Orders between £30.01 and £50 are charged a flat fee of £6.95.

Usual UK delivery timescale (excluding custom prints) is between 5 and 7 working days from the date of dispatch. Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery. For custom print delivery pricing and timescales see below.

Royal Mail industrial action taking place in 2023 may have an impact on delivery times to all destinations both within the UK and internationally. These delays are out of our control.

Delivery Worldwide

We can also ship most items worldwide.

For full details, including prices, click here.

Custom Prints

Your prints and frames will be handmade by King & McGaw at their Sussex workshop.

Unframed orders are shipped within 5 working days (normally shipped next day).

Framed orders are shipped within 20 working days.

Further information on delivery timescales for custom prints can be found here.

RETURNS

If you are not completely satisfied with your item you may return it within 28 days for a refund.

For further details on returns click here.

Unfortunately we cannot offer a refund on custom prints unless they are faulty or we have made a mistake. Custom prints are exempt as they are made to order.

Manufacturer/Publisher: Amberley
Binding: Hardback
Date Published: 2022
Pagination: 288p

SKU: 9781445698427

The Last Witch Craze: John Aubrey, The Royal Society and the Witches

You may also like