A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718

"A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718" by Wallace Notestein is a historical exploration of witchcraft in England, focusing on social beliefs, trials, and their effects on society. Written in the early 20th century, the book gives a detailed look into a key time in English history, aiming to give a clear story of witch trials while also examining the politics and public opinions around them. The author begins by explaining his plan and the need for a timeline of important witch trials, because there is a lot of wrong information about witchcraft. Notestein works to fix historical mistakes and carefully look at how witchcraft ideas were tied to the social and political structure of the time. The author begins his study with the start of witchcraft laws under Queen Elizabeth I, seeing the need to deal with the complicated legal and social reactions to witchcraft during this period.