The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World

It's 1651. You live in the frontier town of Springfield, Massachusetts as a series of strange and unexplained events begin to occur. Food spoils, livestock gets sick, property disappears, and people start having convulsions and visions, as though they were possessed by demons. A woman is seen wading deep into the swamps. Children fall ill and die. As tensions rise, rumors of witchcraft spread and the community becomes divided. You realize that all the blame lies on a young couple: Hugh Parsons, a brickmaker, and his wife, Mary.

Author Malcolm Gaskill draws on hitherto unused source material to paint a vivid picture of a society caught in the throes of transition. At this liminal point in history, people are still deeply superstitious and believe in the power of the devil, but new ideas about science and reason are beginning to take hold. The Ruin of All Witches is a fascinating and thought-provoking look at a dark period in American history. It is a reminder that even in the most enlightened societies, superstition and fear can still lead to violence and injustice.