The enemy within : 2,000 years of witch-hunting in the Western world
(Book)

Hardcover published by Viking Penguin....2008 under title: The enemy within : 2,000 years of witch-hunting in the Western world. Paperback version published in 2009 by Penguin...under title: The enemy within : a short history of witch-hunting.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [297]-307) and indexes.

A cultural history of witch-hunting, from the Romans through McCarthy. The term witch-hunt is used today to describe everything from political scandals to school board shake-ups. But its origins are far from trivial. Long before the Salem witch trials, women and men were rounded up by neighbors, accused of committing horrific crimes using supernatural powers, scrutinized by priests and juries, and promptly executed. The belief in witchcraft--and the deep fear of evil it instilled in communities--led to a cycle of accusation, anger, and purging that has occurred repeatedly in the West for centuries.