{"product_id":"a-defence-of-witchcraft-belief-a-sixteenth-century-response-to-reginald-scot-s-discoverie-of-witchcraft-9781526174451","title":"A Defence of Witchcraft Belief: A","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the first published edition of a fascinating manuscript on witchcraft in the collection of the British Library, written by an unknown sixteenth-century  scholar. Responding to a pre-publication draft of Reginald Scot’s sceptical \u003ci\u003eDiscoverie of Witchcraft\u003c\/i\u003e (1584), the treatise represents the most detailed defence of witchcraft belief to be written in the early modern period in England. It highlights in detail the scriptural and theological justifications for a belief in witches, covering ground that may well have been considered too sensitive for print publications and presenting learned arguments not found in any other contemporary English work. Consequently, it offers a unique insight into elite witchcraft belief dating from the very beginning of the English witchcraft debate. This edition, which includes a comprehensive analytical introduction, presents the treatise with modernised spelling and relevant excerpts from Scot’s book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'In sum, in his excellent introduction to this treatise and in his thoughtful and careful editing of it, Eric Pudney has made a marvellous contribution to the study of early modern English witchcraft. From this point on, further studies of Reginald Scot’s \u003ci\u003eThe Discoverie of Witchcraft\u003c\/i\u003e will undoubtedly be indebted to it.'\u003cbr\u003ePhilip Almond, \u003ci\u003eFolklore\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003c\/i\u003e'Eric Pudney deserves nothing but praise and gratitude for his excellent editorial work, demonstrating this manuscript’s complex interaction with Scot’s \u003ci\u003eDiscoverie \u003c\/i\u003eand illuminating the origins of both texts. We are very much in his debt.'\u003cbr\u003eJan Machielsen, \u003ci\u003eJournal of Ecclesiastical History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Eric Pudney’s edition of a hitherto virtually unnoticed anonymous response to Scot’s famous \u003ci\u003eThe discoverie of witchcraft\u003c\/i\u003e (1584) [is] extraordinarily significant.'\u003cbr\u003eStuart Clark, \u003ci\u003eMagic, Ritual, and Witchcraft\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e -- .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003eA defence of witchcraft belief\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Manchester University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51041042432343,"sku":"9781526174451","price":19.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781526174451.jpg?v=1750948719","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/a-defence-of-witchcraft-belief-a-sixteenth-century-response-to-reginald-scot-s-discoverie-of-witchcraft-9781526174451","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}