A Razor for a Goat: A Discussion of Certain Problems in the History of Witchcraft and Diabolism

Rose, Elliot

ISBN 10: 0802067689 / ISBN 13: 9780802067685

Published by University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON, Canada, 1989

257pp; Covers clean & bright, text unmarked, binding is tight, VG+ condition. Historical monograph analyzing witchcraft in the western European tradition from the 9th to the 18th centuries. Seller Inventory # 017315

Synopsis:

First published in 1962, Elliot Rose's A Razor for a Goat is a study of witchcraft as a religion, whether the religion was a form of pagan survival or a depraved Christian (or anti-Christian) heresy. Rose surveyed witch-scares, fairy folklore, 'ritual' deaths, the Canon Episcopi, and goliards for evidence for witchcraft, and to make some suggestions about the reality behind the popular beliefs on witchcraft societies and Sabbats. One of the first studies to debunk the dominant theory of the time that witchcraft had been an organized pre-Christian religion, A Razor for a Goat is listed on many anthropology, religion, and history course bibliographies.

This reprint has a ten-page foreword by Richard Kieckhefer that gives a historiographical examination of the importance of this book, and situates it within the discipline today. Closely reasoned, and written with a rare wit, A Razor for a Goat is a classic study and excellent survey of the literature and history of witchcraft.

About the Author: Elliot Rose is a professor in the Department of History, University of Toronto.

Bibliographic Details

Title: A Razor for a Goat: A Discussion of Certain ...
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON, Canada
Publication Date: 1989
Binding: Softcover
Condition: Very Good+
Edition: First Paperback Edition.