Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft: Complete illustrated edition: Uncover lost knowledge about demons, demonology, witchcraft, faeries, ghosts, and the paranormal world. [Paperback] By: Sir Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott is perhaps best known for his poetry and for historical novels such as Ivanhoe and Rob Roy along with other classics, however, he also had a lifelong fascination with witchcraft and the occult. This book takes the form of ten letters addressed to his son-in-law and publisher J. G. Lockhart examining the causes of paranormal phenomena. The epistolary mode permitting Scott to be both conversational in tone and discursive in method. In these letters he shared his extensive knowledge of paranormal events and history. In addition to detailed notes about demonology and witchcraft, Scott describes the oral and written traditions of faeries and ghosts, with notes about lycanthropy, astrology, charms, and more.This collection of letters, first published in 1830, is notable for both its scope (examining social, cultural, medical and psychological factors in peoples' paranormal experiences) and its clear, rational standpoint. Scott explores the influence of Christianity on evolving views of what is classified as 'witchcraft' or 'evil', and he explains the many (often innocuous) meanings of the word 'witch'. Written with palpable enthusiasm and from a strikingly modern perspective, this volume explores a range of topics including fairies, elves and fortune-telling as well as inquisitions and witch trials. Scott's account is amply illustrated with anecdotes and traditional tales and may be read as an anthology of uncanny stories as much as a philosophical treatise.This edition includes the full 1884 text, with a new introduction by London professor of English Literature Henry Morely and along with twelve sketches illustrations by artist George Cruikshank.