Witchcraft has proven an important, if difficult, historical subject to investigate and interpret over the last four decades or so. Modern historical research into witchcraft began as an attempt to tease out the worldview of ordinary people in 16th- and 17th-century England, but it quickly expanded to encompass the history of witchcraft in most cultures and societies that have existed with scholarly studies now extending back to the time of earliest law code that punished sorcery, the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.), and forward to the last witchcraft cases in England, those of Helen Duncan and Jane Yorke, tried in 1944. There has also been a significant amount of interest in the development of the modern religion of witchcraft, or Wicca, as various forms of neo-paganism continue to attract adherents.   The second edition of Historical Dictionary of Witchcraft covers the history of the Witchcraft from 1750 B.C.E. though the modern day. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on witch hunts, witchcraft trials, and related practices around the world. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the history of witchcraft.

"For those libraries needing a comprehensive overview of this topic it would be a good addition to public and academic libraries." - American Reference Books Annual

"The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Witchcraft covers the history of witchcraft from 1750 BCE to the present. Entries in this historical dictionary range from a short paragraph to a page. There are liberal cross-references within the articles, although they don’t have citations. The bibliography is extensive and includes citations from twenty-first-century print sources. The main focus is Europe and North America, but there are articles covering the rest of the world. There are more entries as well as updated citations in this edition, so libraries with the first edition may want this as a replacement. Recommended for public and academic libraries." - Booklist

"Part of Scarecrow's "Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements" series, this second edition (1st ed., by Bailey, CH, Jul'04, 41-6237) has the usual arrangement of chronology, entries, and bibliography divided into subjects. Written by Durrant (Univ. of Glamorgan, Wales) and Bailey (Iowa State Univ.), the content is a conglomeration of material on ancient roots, historical European witchcraft, and demonology; similar beliefs in other cultures today (such as in the Caribbean and various African nations); and the modern religion of Witchcraft. Entries are short, with no bibliography, and include cross-references in the usual dictionary style. In the introduction, series editor Jon Woronoff seems to take a somewhat jocular attitude to the subject, assuring readers that the content is relevant and "far from hocus-pocus." With most of the entries focused on the history of western European witchcraft, this work will be of interest primarily to historians rather than practitioners or scholars of contemporary religious Witchcraft. Summing Up: Recommended." - CHOICE