Overview

Ronald Hutton is known for his colorful, provocative, and always exhaustively researched studies on original subjects. This work is no exception: the first full-scale scholarly study of the only religion England has ever given the world, that of modern pagan witchcraft, which has now spread from English shores across four continents. Hutton examines the nature of that religion and its development, and offers a microhistory of attitudes to paganism, witchcraft, and magic in British society since 1800. Village cunning folk and Victorian ritual magicians, classicists and archaeologists, leaders of woodcraft and scouting movements, Freemasons and members of rural secret societies, all appear in the pages of this book. Also included are some of the leading figures of English literature, from the Romantic poets to WB Yeats, DH Lawrence, and Robert Graves, as well as the main personalities who have represented pagan witchcraft to the world since 1950.

Full Product Details

9798200256068

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Ronald Hutton is senior professor of history at the University of Bristol, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries, the Learned Society of Wales, and the British Academy. He is the historian on the board of trustees which runs English Heritage, and chair of the Blue Plaques panel which awards commemorative plaques to historic buildings. He has published sixteen books and eighty essays on a wide range of subjects including British history between 1400 and 1700, ancient and modern paganism in Britain, the British ritual year, and Siberian shamanism. His previous publications include Rise and Fall of Merry England, Stations of the Sun, and The Witch: A History of Fear from Ancient Times to the Present. Bruce Mann is an award-winning voice artist and actor. He was born in the UK and now lives in California. His awards include several AudioFile Earphones Awards, two Audie nominations, and an AudioFile Excellence Award. Bruce began his audiobook career in 2001 with a recording of the classic Red Badge of Courage. His audiobook highlights include Two Crafty Criminals by bestselling author Philip Pullman, Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs (with Simon Callow) and Equilateral by the award-winning Ken Kalfus. Of all his recordings, his personal favorite is the classic Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Bruce trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and has also studied with several eminent voice and acting teachers. In addition to his voice-over work, Bruce is also a busy theater and film actor and has appeared in theaters throughout the UK, Europe, and in the USA. He has featured on both British and American television and has appeared in several feature films. He has also directed and produced a variety of audiobooks by authors including George R. R. Martin, Salman Rushdie, Neil Gaiman, Terry Brooks, Tanith Lee, and Janet Evanovich. When not acting, Bruce is a keen musician, and has played Hammond Organ or bass guitar in many rock and blues bands. He is also a published songwriter with numerous credits. Bruce holds three degrees from the University of Cambridge, and more recently received his PhD. He is an experienced and skilled editor and proofreader of academic texts.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available