This dictionary is a guide to the subject of witchcraft which has exerted its influence on the popular imagination for centuries. It looks at the history of witchcraft, traces its development in countries such as Britain, Germany and the US, and explains the rituals and objects associated with it, from black sabbaths to covens, and from hands of glory to pentagrams. In addition, it provides biographies of key figures, such as the 17th-century Witch-Finder General, Matthew Hopkins, and the Great Beast Aleister Crowley and gives detailed accounts of notorious witch trials, drawing on contemporary documents and eye-witness views.