Roach's new and exciting book is a marvelous compendium of well-thought-out insights, multiple facts, and little-known details on the events of the infamous 1692 Salem Village witchcraft. Her work, arranged in a day-by-day chronology, allows the reader to visualize how these events began and progressed to become the most massive witchcraft outbreak in America. It is an important ... Read moreaddition to the literature of New England witchcraft.
Richard B. Trask, Danvers, Massachusetts Town Archivist [A] truly impressive day-by-day compendium on the course of the Salem witchcraft trials. This will be an invaluable aid to the scholarship on this pivotal episode in American history.
William T. La Moy, Editor
Peabody Essex Museum Collections
The most complete day-by-day account of the Salem witch trials ever written. [Roach has created] a fascinating chronicle of the witchcraft episode and its long aftermath, filled with revealing social and psychological detail, accurately and gracefully written. A compelling read.
Benjamin C. Ray, Director, Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive This fascinating, deeply researched day-by-day account of the events of 1692 to 1697 is an extraordinarily valuable resource for any student of the Salem witch trials.
Frances Hill, Author of A Delusion of Satan and editor of The Salem Witch Trials Reader What an accomplishment! Marilynne Roach tells the story with rare detail and deep understanding. Her scholarship and sensibility make The Salem Witch Trials an invaluable must-have for those interested in the trials and the times. Reading her work is almost like being there. Outstanding.
Alison D'Amario, director of education, Salem Witch Museum Monumental.... Roach's detailed reference book provides deep insights into the trial years by letting us listen to the voices of everyone involved.
Publishers Weekly
Presents a detailed chronology of events from January 1, 1692, to January 14, 1697. Drawing on extensive sources, including some recently discovered manuscript material, it provides invaluable basic information in an accessible format that will aid those who are new to the Salem Witch Trials and those who many be revisiting them.
Library Journal
The well-written text is formatted much like a diary of excerpted, paraphrased, and quoted documentation.
G. Wood, SUNY College at Cortland
CHOICE
Roach worked on this fascinating chronicle more than 25 years. She tells exactly what happened at the time, based on tons of documents and court testimony.
Denver Post
Marilynne K. Roach's The Salem Witch Trials is representative of this ongoing interest: her day-by-day chronicle will find a place on the shelves of researchers and history buffs for whom the fascination of Salem never palls.
Thomas S. Kidd, Baylor University
Books and Culture
Useful, rigorous and historiographically current reference work.
Marc Aronson
Los Angeles Times
Readers will come away with a much fuller pitcure of who lived in Salem and how they lived...This intriguing book offers an understanding of history that will be helpful to those studying colonial Massachusetts and of course, the notorious trials.
Booklist
This book is a good reference for understanding why the accusations occured...
Jodelle Greiner
Gainesville Daily Register
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