Witchcraft - A Very Short Introduction

I have just been sent a copy of Witchcraft: A Very Short Introductionby Malcolm Gaskill to review.

The blurb that came with the book said:

"Witchcraft is a subject that fascinates us all, and everyone knows what a witch is - or do they? From childhood most of us develop a sense of the mysterious, malign person, usually an old woman. Historically, too, we recognize witch-hunting as a feature of pre-modern societies. But why do witches still feature so heavily in our cultures and consciousness? From Halloween to superstitions, and literary references such as Faust and even Harry Potter, witches still feature heavily in our society. In this Very Short Introduction Malcolm Gaskill challenges all of this, and argues that what we think we know is, in fact, wrong."

Malcolm Gaskill is a Reader in Early Modern History at the University of East Anglia and is an expert in the history of witchcraft.

I am very much looking forward to reading this new book. When I've finished I will review it on A Bad Witch's Blog

Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) is available to order through AmazonIt is due to reach shops on 25 March as a paperback original with an RRP of £7.99.

It is published by Oxford University Press

My previous reviews of books on the history of witchcraft:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/02/review-history-of-witchcraft.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/08/history-of-magic-in-modern-age.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/10/review-grimoires-history-of-magic-books.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/10/review-haxan-witchcraft-through-ages.html