Witches and Witchcraft: Reference Books
Top recommendation:
The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Call Number: Internet Archive E-BOOKISBN: 0815412215Publication Date: 2002-09-17This chronology is my top recommendation in the reference category. It offers maps of Salem Town and related locales (e.g., Andover); an extraordinarily in-depth, nearly day-by-day chronology of events beginning from 1692 through January 1697; and appendices with the names of the accused (e.g., Tituba) and afflicted. Also available in print (call # BF1575 .R63 2002).
Also useful:
The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West by Call Number: Gitenstein Library E-BOOKISBN: 9780521194181Publication Date: 2015-03-02See Chapter 15, titled "Folk Magic in British North America" by Richard Godbeer. Also available in print, General Collection, Call # BF1589 .C28 2015.
The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca by Call Number: Internet Archive E-BOOKISBN: 9780816071036Publication Date: 2008-12-30"Students of the Salem witch hysteria will find individual biographies on the key victims." The "Salem Witches" (or main entry) on this subject can be found on pp. 297-305, along with an extensive Further Reading list.
Magic, Witchcraft and Paganism in America by Call Number: Internet Archive E-BOOKISBN: 0824093771Publication Date: 1982-03-01This dated but still important bibliography is useful for locating scholarly literature on witchcraft published prior to 1982. Several entries reach back to the nineteenth century. The chapter titled "Witchcraft in Colonial America" begins on p. 89, and the chapter titled "Salem" begins on p. 92.
The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America by Call Number: BF1571 .O94 2013ISBN: 9780199578160Publication Date: 2013-05-19
Witch Hunts in Europe and America: An Encyclopedia by Call Number: BF1584.E9 B87 2003ISBN: 0313321426Publication Date: 2003-10-30Several entries treat the Salem witch trials (see the index). The main entry appears on pp. 257-261 and includes an extensive "References" section for further reading.
Reference Databases
The following Gitenstein Library databases provide full-text access to a range of reference materials of interest to students researching witchcraft in history and literature.
- Literature Online (LION)Find a range of primary, secondary, and tertiary (or reference) works with LION. Click on the Reference Works button above the search box on the Basic Search page. Type your search terms, for example witchcraft or Salem witch trials into the search box. Execute your Search to retrieve results from reference works.