Just a few days remain before my new book Witchcraft in Illinois: A Cultural History officially goes on sale Monday, September 18. The paperback sells for $21.99 and the Kindle edition sells for $12.99. I don’t have a copy to show you yet, but the interior is beautifully designed, with 37 rarely-seen images.
Here are the ten most interesting highlights from the book:
- This is the first and only book to examine the subject of witchcraft in Illinois.
- It fills a large gap in the understanding of witchcraft as it relates to Illinois history.
- It examines little-known or forgotten episodes and events in Illinois history.
- It contains primary sources that have never been seen in print.
- It reveals the truth behind Illinois’ oldest tale of witchcraft—the execution of two French slaves in 1779.
- It shows the connection between witch beliefs in Illinois and those in early modern Europe.
- It shows how witch beliefs have always been a part of Illinois history, from the frontier to the present day.
- It shows how witch beliefs proliferated in both rural areas and cities like Chicago and its suburbs.
- It examines not simply cases of witchcraft, but also superstitions and beliefs about witches and folk magic.
- It reveals the startling fact that witch doctors practiced alongside modern medicine in Illinois well into the 1920s.
You can still Pre-order the book before September 18th.
M.A. Kleen 