Narratives of Sorcery and Magic

Thomas Wright's interest in folklore and legend led to this two-volume 1851 account of sorcery and magic across Europe.

English historian and antiquary Thomas Wright (1810–70) published prolifically on subjects ranging from Old English texts to Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. This two-volume 1851 publication is testimony to his interest in folklore, sorcery and legend. Volume 1 gives instances of alleged witchcraft from sixteenth-century Europe.The English historian and antiquary Thomas Wright (1810–70) co-founded and joined a number of antiquarian and literary societies. He was greatly interested in Old English, Middle English and Anglo-Norman texts, and in the 1840s and 1850s he published widely within these areas. Gradually his focus shifted to the archaeology of Roman Britain and to Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. Although much of Wright's research has been completely superseded, his work is still considered worth consulting, as he collected material not readily available elsewhere. This two-volume 1851 publication is testimony to Wright's interest in folklore, sorcery and legend. In Volume 1 the author accounts of sorcery across Europe, and he considers the legendary Dr Faustus as an archetypal magician who called 'the demon'. Wright also discusses the place of the occult in England during and after the Reformation, writing about magicians such as John Dee, and describing King James I's views on witchcraft.