Witchcraft and the Black Art: A Book Dealing with the Psychology and Folklore of the Witches

6b J. W. Wickwar. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited, 1927. First Edition, Second Printing. Inscribed by the Author.

Notes

Witchcraft and the Black Art: A Book Dealing with the Psychology and Folklore of the Witches, first published in 1925, is a study by J. W. Wickwar, that explores the historical and cultural understanding of witchcraft. Drawing on folklore, superstition, and early psychological interpretation, Wickwar examines how beliefs about witches developed across Europe, particularly during periods of heightened fear such as the witch trials. The work reflects early twentieth-century efforts to interpret witchcraft not as literal supernatural practice, but as a phenomenon shaped by social anxiety, religious influence, and the human tendency toward fear of the unknown. Blending historical accounts with analysis of myth and belief, the book offers insight into how witchcraft has been perceived and misunderstood over time.

J. W. Wickwar was a writer concerned with the intersection of folklore, psychology, and occult traditions, contributing to a body of early modern scholarship that sought to rationalize and contextualize supernatural beliefs. His work fits within a broader intellectual movement of the period that attempted to explain phenomena such as witchcraft through emerging ideas in psychology and anthropology, rather than through purely theological or superstitious frameworks. Today, Witchcraft and the Black Art is of interest as both a study of historical belief and a reflection of early twentieth-century approaches to the interpretation of the occult.

Chapters include - Witchcraft a Primitive Cult, Initiation and Ceremony, Spells, The Evil Eye and Possession, Practical Witchcraft, Witchcraft on the Continent, Werewolves and Vampires, Blood and Fire in England, Demons and Mascots, Witch-hunting Cameos, A Typical English Witch-Trial, Witchcraft in America, Witchcraft Phantasmagoria, A Typical Witch-Tract, and The Last Phase.

Description

Green canvas boards with black lettering to upper board and spine. Inscribed by the author ‘With the authors kind regards, J. W. Wickwar, 16/1/26’ to half title. Softening to fragments and foot of spine. Single damp-stain to fore edge. Fine condition.