Publisher Description

Ronald Hutton is known for his colourful, provocative, and always exhaustively researched, studies on original subjects. This work is no exception: the first full-scale scholarly study of the only religion England has ever given the world, that of modern pagan witchcraft, which has now spread from English shores across four continents. Hutton examines the nature of that religion and its development, and offers a microhistory of attitudes to paganism, witchcraft,and magic in British society since 1800. Village cunning folk and Victorian ritual magicians, classicists and archaeologists, leaders of woodcraft and scouting movements, Freemasons and members of ruralsecret societies, all appear in the pages of this book. Also included are some of the leading figures of English literature, from the Romantic poets to W B Yeats, D H Lawrence, and Robert Graves, as well as the main personalities who have represented pagan witchcraft to the world since 1950.

Notes

A provocative and scholarly study, published at a time of rising public interest and including rare insights into the involvement of W.B. Yeats, D.H. Lawrence and Robert Graves in witchcraft. Subtitled A History Of Modern Pagan Witchcraft.

Author Biography

Ronald Hutton is Professor of History at the University of Bristol. He is the author of seven other books, including The Stations of the Sun, which The Times Literary Supplement called "a tour de force from one of the liveliest and most wide-ranging English historians." He lives in the United Kingdom.

Table of Contents

Macrocosm1: Finding a Language2: Finding a Goddess3: Finding a God4: Finding a Structure5: Finding a High Magic6: Finding a Low Magic7: Finding a Folklore8: Finding a Witchcraft9: Matrix10: God (and Goddess) ParentsMicrocosm11: Gerald Gardner12: Gerald's People13: The Wider Context: Hostility14: The Wider Context: Reinforcement15: Old Craft, New Craft16: The Man in Black17: Royalty from the North18: Uncle Sam and the Goddess19: Coming of Age20: Grandchildren of the ShadowsNotesIndex

Review

`This work ... makes for excellent reading. Hutton's extensive scholarship allows him to make and clarify connections between people and movements in recent centuries.'Northern Earth, No.83.`Hutton uses his historical skills to tease apart some of the themes in this popular rural romanticism, and to locate their purely modern origin.'T. M. Luhrmann, TLS`Fascinating'The Times`Hutton's book is excellent ...'T. M. Luhrmann, TLS`The Triumph of the Moon, which is densely argued and heavily annotated, leaves little doubt that the history which modern occultism has constructed for itself is bunk ... It all makes for riveting reading and, despite Hutton's demolition of the supposed lineage of witchcraft, I am tempted after reading his book to become a witch myself.'Robert Irwin, The Independent 11/12/99`Hutton has synthesised a huge body of sources, and woven together a fascinating narrative with supreme skill. The reader is sure to be gripped by the wonderful cast of characters that he assembles... Hutton shows us that paganism is a matter of interest not only for the classicist and archaeologist, but for the modern historian as well. in doing so his Triumph of the Moon proves to be a triumph of cultural history.'Owen Davies, History Today Vol.50 No.3`he shows a bracing and candid scepticism about the architects of pagan witchcraft belief in the past ... he shows energetic rigour when exposing the fallacies and fantasies suffusing paganism's canonical texts ... has a very interesting story to tell.'Marina Warner The Times`A brilliant insight into the history of modern witchcraft by the author of the classic study of Paganism. Very readable and well researched.'Kindred Spirit, Issue 50, Spring 2000

Promotional

A spellbinding chronicle of the development of modern pagan witchcraft

Long Description

Ronald Hutton is known for his colourful, provocative, and always exhaustively researched, studies on original subjects. This work is no exception: the first full-scale scholarly study of the only religion England has ever given the world, that of modern pagan witchcraft, which has now spread from English shores across four continents. Hutton examines the nature of that religion and its development, and offers a microhistory of attitudes to paganism, witchcraft,
and magic in British society since 1800. Village cunning folk and Victorian ritual magicians, classicists and archaeologists, leaders of woodcraft and scouting movements, Freemasons and members of rural secret societies, all appear in the pages of this book. Also included are some of the leading
figures of English literature, from the Romantic poets to W B Yeats, D H Lawrence, and Robert Graves, as well as the main personalities who have represented pagan witchcraft to the world since 1950.

Review Text

`This work ... makes for excellent reading. Hutton's extensive scholarship allows him to make and clarify connections between people and movements in recent centuries.'
Northern Earth, No.83.
`Hutton uses his historical skills to tease apart some of the themes in this popular rural romanticism, and to locate their purely modern origin.'
T. M. Luhrmann, TLS
`Fascinating'
The Times
`Hutton's book is excellent ...'
T. M. Luhrmann, TLS
`The Triumph of the Moon, which is densely argued and heavily annotated, leaves little doubt that the history which modern occultism has constructed for itself is bunk ... It all makes for riveting reading and, despite Hutton's demolition of the supposed lineage of witchcraft, I am tempted after reading his book to become a witch myself.'
Robert Irwin, The Independent 11/12/99
`Hutton has synthesised a huge body of sources, and woven together a fascinating narrative with supreme skill. The reader is sure to be gripped by the wonderful cast of characters that he assembles... Hutton shows us that paganism is a matter of interest not only for the classicist and archaeologist, but for the modern historian as well. in doing so his Triumph of the Moon proves to be a triumph of cultural history.'
Owen Davies, History Today Vol.50 No.3
`he shows a bracing and candid scepticism about the architects of pagan witchcraft belief in the past ... he shows energetic rigour when exposing the fallacies and fantasies suffusing paganism's canonical texts ... has a very interesting story to tell.'
Marina Warner The Times
`A brilliant insight into the history of modern witchcraft by the author of the classic study of Paganism. Very readable and well researched.'
Kindred Spirit, Issue 50, Spring 2000

Review Quote

'This work ... makes for excellent reading. Hutton's extensive scholarship allows him to make and clarify connections between people and movements in recent centuries.' Northern Earth, No.83.

Feature

Very well-known historian

New Feature

Macrocosm 1. Finding a Language 2. Finding a Goddess 3. Finding a God 4. Finding a Structure 5. Finding a High Magic 6. Finding a Low Magic 7. Finding a Folklore 8. Finding a Witchcraft 9. Matrix 10. God (and Goddess) Parents Microcosm 11. Gerald Gardner 12. Gerald's People 13. The Wider Context: Hostility 14. The Wider Context: Reinforcement 15. Old Craft, New Craft 16. The Man in Black 17. Royalty from the North 18. Uncle Sam and the Goddess 19. Coming of Age 20. Grandchildren of the Shadows Notes Index

Details