The Witching Hour: A Collection of Victorian Tales Concerning Witchcraft and Wizardry

by Various

A collection of Victorian tales of witchcraft and wizardry, penned by some of the finest female authors of the era. Including work by Pauline Mackie, Anna Kingsford, Lady Wilde, and Miss Mary Lewis.

354 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2011

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Nutri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witching Hour is a Victorian take on the topic of witches: the first part of the book consists of commentaries on witch hunts and historical records related to witchcraft, eg. old recipes for miscellaneous magical remedies, like one for „convulsion fits” containing powdered human skulls.

The second part of the book consists of short stories featuring witch trials, spirits, hexes and curses, all written by women. It’s striking to realise that some of the last witch trials happened during their lives (eg. the last woman charged with witchcraft was brought to trial in Salem in 1878!) though fortunately the last cases resulting in the victim’s execution were a thing of the past.

I usually enjoy the prose from the period immensely and this one is no exception; the language of the nineteenth century British ladies is enchantingly beautiful and whimsical. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the times where mystical beliefs, like those in spirits, spells and magic, were slowly in decline, during the dawn of modern science and engineering.