Publisher's Synopsis
Cotton Mather and His Writings on Witchcraft is a book written by Thomas J. Holmes. The book is a comprehensive study of the life and works of Cotton Mather, a prominent Puritan minister and writer in colonial America. Mather is best known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials and his influential writings on witchcraft. The book begins with a detailed biography of Mather, tracing his family background, education, religious beliefs, and career as a minister and writer. It then examines Mather's writings on witchcraft, including his most famous work, Wonders of the Invisible World, which was published in 1693 and provided a detailed account of the Salem witch trials. The book also explores Mather's broader views on religion, science, and society, and how these influenced his writings on witchcraft. It examines the cultural and historical context of Mather's work, including the religious and political tensions of colonial America, and the broader European tradition of witchcraft beliefs and persecution. Overall, Cotton Mather and His Writings on Witchcraft provides a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of one of the most influential figures in American history, and sheds light on the complex cultural and intellectual forces that shaped the Salem witch trials and the broader history of witchcraft in America.Cotton Mather's entrance into the world's annals of witchcraft, in the character in which some of our historians have portrayed him, did not come about primarily through his two major works on that subject, nor through the relative importance of his witchcraft writings as compared with his other works. It came about through that inconsiderable manuscript of his concerning that comparatively insignificant �������witchcraft������� case of Margaret Rule, and by his contact over it with Robert Calef.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
