Witchcraft. the Library of Esoterica - by Jessica Hundley & Pam Grossman Hardcover

About the Book

A spellbinding journey through the global history of witchcraft, the third volume in The Library of Esoterica follows this magickal tradition from its ancient roots to its modern incarnations. Through more than 400 artworks, and revelatory essays and interviews with modern practitioners, Witchcraft chronicles a cathartic evolution, from the craft's emergence in ancient goddess worship to the embrace by today's diverse witch community.

Book Synopsis

Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone--seductress and destroyer.

Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by author, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the first of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies behind witchcraft traditions, as explored through the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists throughout time, from the dark seductions of Francisco José de Goya and Albrecht Dürer to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare's Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum's iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy.

Throughout this entrancing visual voyage, we'll also bear witness to the witch as she endures persecution and evolves into empowerment, a contemporary symbol of bold defiance and potent nonconformity. Featuring enlightening essays by modern practitioners like Kristen J. Sollée and Judika Illes, as well interviews with authors and scholars such as Madeline Miller and Juliet Diaz, Witchcraft includes a vast range of cultural traditions that embrace magick as spiritual exploration and creative catharsis.

Review Quotes

"The 'Library of Esoterica' acts as a bridge between the dark halls of history and the vast data at our fingertips."-- "Los Angeles Times"

"...takes the fraught history of witches and imbues it with a magic befitting its subject... Witchcraft is a celebration of true, even threatening power--by those who possess it least, and deserve it most."-- "W Magazine"

"Witchcraft offers a deep dive into the many facets of a centuries-old tradition in the Western world."-- "cnn.com"

"A lavish coffee-table book. [Witchcraft] surveys the shadow and the light the witch has cast across the Western imagination."-- "The New York Times"

"A densely packed book that takes a deep dive into the many archetypes the witch has taken throughout the course of time."-- "hypebeast.com"

"A tour de force, taking you all the way through the global history of witchcraft."-- "elitedaily.com"

"A visually vibrant volume that isn't so much a book as it is a spellbinding tribute to a figure and a practice that are as old as time."-- "cnn.com"

"Eye-opening and thought-provoking."-- "widewalls.ch"

"[This] powerful new book blows away the satanic baby-eating myths."-- "The Guardian"

"Delves into the witch's complex history, symbols, and depictions across time..."-- "hyperallergic.com"

"In scouring the history of art to back up their modern-pagan perspective, the editors point to something remarkable."-- "The Guardian"

"In this compendium of witchy women, from Renaissance paintings to modern Wicca, the caricature of the evil hag is turned upside down."-- "The Guardian"

"I think that all women are witches, in the sense that a witch is a magical being."-- "Yoko Ono"

"Going so soon? I wouldn't hear of it. Why, my little party's just beginning!"-- "The Wicked Witch of the West, "The Wizard of Oz""