About the book
*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE*
*A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND BBC HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR*
'A bona fide historical classic' Sunday Times
'Simply one of the best history books I have ever read' BBC History
In the frontier town of Springfield in 1651, peculiar things begin to happen. Precious food spoils, livestock ails and property vanishes. People suffer fits and are plagued by strange visions and dreams. Children sicken and die. As tensions rise, rumours spread of witches and heretics, and the community becomes tangled in a web of spite, distrust and denunciation. The finger of suspicion falls on a young couple struggling to make a home and feed their children: Hugh Parsons the irascible brickmaker and his troubled wife, Mary. It will be their downfall.
The Ruin of All Witches tells the dark, real-life folktale of witch-hunting in a remote Massachusetts plantation. These were the turbulent beginnings of colonial America, when English settlers' dreams of love and liberty, of founding a 'city on a hill', gave way to paranoia and terror, enmity and rage. Drawing on uniquely rich, previously neglected source material, Malcolm Gaskill brings to life a New World existence steeped in the divine and the diabolic, in curses and enchantments, and precariously balanced between life and death.
Through the gripping micro-history of a family tragedy, we glimpse an entire society caught in agonized transition between supernatural obsessions and the age of enlightenment. We see, in short, the birth of the modern world.
'Gaskill tells this deeply tragic story with immense empathy and compassion, as well as historical depth' The Guardian
'As compelling as a campfire story ... Gaskill brings this sinister past vividly to life' Erica Wagner, Financial Times
Sunday Times bestseller, November 2022
Editions of Ruin of All Witches
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780141991481
- EBook
- ISBN 9780241413401
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780241596074
Read an Excerpt
*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE*
*A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND BBC HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR*
'A bona fide historical classic' Sunday Times
'Simply one of the best history books I have ever read' BBC History
In the frontier town of Springfield in 1651, peculiar things begin to happen. Precious food spoils, livestock ails and property vanishes. People suffer fits and are plagued by strange visions and dreams. Children sicken and die. As tensions rise, rumours spread of witches and heretics, and the community becomes tangled in a web of spite, distrust and denunciation. The finger of suspicion falls on a young couple struggling to make a home and feed their children: Hugh Parsons the irascible brickmaker and his troubled wife, Mary. It will be their downfall.
The Ruin of All Witches tells the dark, real-life folktale of witch-hunting in a remote Massachusetts plantation. These were the turbulent beginnings of colonial America, when English settlers' dreams of love and liberty, of founding a 'city on a hill', gave way to paranoia and terror, enmity and rage. Drawing on uniquely rich, previously neglected source material, Malcolm Gaskill brings to life a New World existence steeped in the divine and the diabolic, in curses and enchantments, and precariously balanced between life and death.
Through the gripping micro-history of a family tragedy, we glimpse an entire society caught in agonized transition between supernatural obsessions and the age of enlightenment. We see, in short, the birth of the modern world.
'Gaskill tells this deeply tragic story with immense empathy and compassion, as well as historical depth' The Guardian
'As compelling as a campfire story ... Gaskill brings this sinister past vividly to life' Erica Wagner, Financial Times
Sunday Times bestseller, November 2022
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ruin of All Witches about?
*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE*
*A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND BBC HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR*
'A bona fide historical classic' Sunday Times
'Simply one of the best history books I have ever read' BBC History
In the frontier town of Springfield in 1651, peculiar things begin to happen. Precious food spoils, livestock ails and property vanishes. People suffer fits and are plagued by strange visions and dreams. Children sicken and die. As tensions rise, rumours spread of witches and heretics, and the community becomes tangled in a web of spite, distrust and denunciation. The finger of suspicion falls on a young couple struggling to make a home and feed their children: Hugh Parsons the irascible brickmaker and his troubled wife, Mary. It will be their downfall.
The Ruin of All Witches tells the dark, real-life folktale of witch-hunting in a remote Massachusetts plantation. These were the turbulent beginnings of colonial America, when English settlers' dreams of love and liberty, of founding a 'city on a hill', gave way to paranoia and terror, enmity and rage. Drawing on uniquely rich, previously neglected source material, Malcolm Gaskill brings to life a New World existence steeped in the divine and the diabolic, in curses and enchantments, and precariously balanced between life and death.
Through the gripping micro-history of a family tragedy, we glimpse an entire society caught in agonized transition between supernatural obsessions and the age of enlightenment. We see, in short, the birth of the modern world.
'Gaskill tells this deeply tragic story with immense empathy and compassion, as well as historical depth' The Guardian
'As compelling as a campfire story ... Gaskill brings this sinister past vividly to life' Erica Wagner, Financial Times
Sunday Times bestseller, November 2022
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Ruin of All Witches?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Ruin of All Witches?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780141991481
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Ruin of All Witches?
Malcolm Gaskill
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Ruin of All Witches is available as paperback(ISBN 9780141991481) and ebook(ISBN 9780241413401) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780241596074)
Where can I buy Ruin of All Witches online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Ruin of All Witches from below
Where can I buy Ruin of All Witches?