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The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England

Autor Emerson W. Baker
en Limba Engleză Paperback – mai 2010

In 1682, ten years before the infamous Salem witch trials, the town of Great Island, New Hampshire, was plagued by mysterious events: strange, demonic noises; unexplainable movement of objects; and hundreds of stones that rained upon a local tavern and appeared at random inside its walls. Town residents blamed what they called "Lithobolia" or "the stone-throwing devil." In this lively account, Emerson Baker shows how witchcraft hysteria overtook one town and spawned copycat incidents elsewhere in New England, prefiguring the horrors of Salem. In the process, he illuminates a cross-section of colonial society and overturns many popular assumptions about witchcraft in the seventeenth century.

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Specificații

ISBN-13: 9780230623873
ISBN-10: 0230623875
Pagini: 244
Ilustrații: Includes 12 pages b/w photos
Dimensiuni: 140 x 213 x 18 mm
Greutate: 0.3 kg
Editura: Palgrave MacMillan
Locul publicării:Basingstoke, United Kingdom

Descriere

In 1682, ten years before the infamous Salem witch trials, the town of Great Island, New Hampshire, was plagued by mysterious events: strange, demonic noises; unexplainable movement of objects; and hundreds of stones that rained upon a local tavern and appeared at random inside its walls. Town residents blamed what they called "Lithobolia" or "the stone-throwing devil." In this lively account, Emerson Baker shows how witchcraft hysteria overtook one town and spawned copycat incidents elsewhere in New England, prefiguring the horrors of Salem. In the process, he illuminates a cross-section of colonial society and overturns many popular assumptions about witchcraft in the seventeenth century.

Cuprins


The First Stone Is Cast
Evil Things
The Waltons
The Neighbors from Hell
Fences and Neighbors
Neighbors and Witches
Great Island's Great Matter
The Mason Family Stake their Claim
The Spread of Lithobolia
To Salem
Beyond Salem

Recenzii


'Does a fine job of bringing to life a little-known aspect of the tumultuous Puritan era.' - Kirkus Reviews 
 
'Enthralling . . . Baker's welcome account throws a strong light on an American witchcraft episode that has not hitherto received the attention it clearly deserves.' - The Historian 
 
'With deft insights, Tad Baker illuminates a supernatural mystery from seventeenth-century New England. Thoroughly researched and clearly written, The Devil of Great Island leaves no stone unturned, revealing a popular culture of marvels and wonders. And it offers a gripping tale well told.' - Alan Taylor, author of American Colonies 
 
'Thoroughly fascinating and fascinatingly thorough, Baker's lively narrative of a witchcraft episode in early New Hampshire exposes the many reasons why a 'stone-throwing devil' attacked George Walton and his tavern. In learning about life on Great Island, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, readers also learn much about a part of New England that does not fit our standard Puritan stereotypes and thus about a diverse aspect of our collective past that will now become better known.' - Mary Beth Norton, author of In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 
 
'The witch trials of seventeenth-century New England have been extensively worked over by historians, and yet, as this fascinating book shows, there are new insights to be gained by moving the focus beyond Massachusetts and the Puritans. In this meticulously researched case study, Emerson W. Baker not only makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of supernatural beliefs in colonial North America, but also weaves an enjoyable and accessible story that leads the reader up to the events at Salem.' - Dr. Owen Davies, author of Popular Magic: Cunning-Folk in English History 
 
'Emerson Baker combines his talents as historian of early New England and historical archaeologist to untangle the web of personal conflicts, property disputes, and tensions political and religious that underlay the events on Great Island. The Devil of Great Island will surely take its place among the must-read books on witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England.' - James Leamon, author of Revolution Downeast: The War for American Independence in Maine 
 
'In Baker's expert hands, this long ignored witchcraft episode yields important insight into the bizarre imagination and rich social diversity of late 17th century northern New England. Here we encounter the contrasting beliefs of Quakers, Puritans, Baptists, Antinomians, and Godless fishermen as well as the clashing political interests of Native Americans, Europeans, Puritans, and Royalists. This masterful narrative of religious and social pluralism in early New England helps to refocus our vision of the foundations of America and also puts other New England witchcraft events into useful perspective.' - Benjamin C. Ray, Director, Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive (http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft), University of Virginia

Notă biografică

EMEERSON W. BAKER teaches history at Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts, USA. He lives in York, Maine.

Caracteristici


GROUNDBREAKING HISTORY: This is an in-depth retelling of one of the first incidents of witchcraft in American history, predating even the Salem witch trials
TIMED FOR HALLOWEEN: Perfect for in-store displays
EXPERT: Baker is a renowned historian at Salem State, in a region known for its witchcraft history