The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the PresentWhy have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe's history "Traces the idea of witches far beyond the Salem witch trials to beliefs and attitudes about witches around the world throughout history." Los Angeles Times The witch came to prominence and often a painful death in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep.