It’s easy to think you’ve found a riveting, interesting book based on nothing more than the title. Every now and then, the promise holds true, and you find a gem between the pages. Jules Michelet’s 1862 book, Satanism and Witchcraft: A Study in Medieval Superstition isn’t one of them. As a long-time fan of dark, occult subjects, I wanted to read Michelet’s famed work since I stumbled across the title. As it’s not the type of thing you’ll find in your local library, I bought it used on eBay. A waste of money, and time. Not a lot of either, but less time. I made it through the first few chapters, struggling to stay awake before deciding I had found another book to place on the “so bad I couldn’t finish” shelf...

To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.com/2017/10/10/satanism-and-witchcraft-1862-review/

intéressant dans son aspect dénonciateur de l'Église, social et historique.
la partie sur les « notes et éclaircissements » est presque plus intéressante (à mes yeux parce que plus concise, moins verbeux, donc plus aisé à comprendre) que l'ouvrage en lui même.

1.5 stars
dnf @ 30%. so much of this didn't have anything to do with the ideas of satanism and witchcraft which is understandable considering it's documenting its history and what led up to it, but I just expected something different. I'm still interested in reading his account of Joan of Arc but I'm disappointed this one wasn't for me.

Note: This is not an up-to-date history of witchcraft. It was written in the 1860s, and so many of its findings are antiquated or just plain wrong. Since I study what people in the 19th century thought about about the middle ages, it was perfect for me. It may or may not be perfect for someone else.

STILL it has some of the most beautiful writing. I wish we wrote more history like that sometimes.

4/5
Passionnant, même si j’attendais plutôt une analyse générale et non une suite d’exemples précis. Intéressant tout de même !

I'm used to reading serious scientific essays, which is what I was expecting from this one. However, it reads like a bad novel with facts splashed in.