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Witchcraft. The Library of Esoterica
40
A spellbinding journey through the global history of witchcraft, the third volume in The Library of Esoterica follows this magickal tradition from its ancient roots to its modern incarnations. Through more than 400 artworks, and revelatory essays and interviews with modern practitioners, Witchcraft chronicles a cathartic evolution, from the craft’s emergence in ancient goddess worship to the embrace by today’s diverse witch community.
Hardcover, quarter-bound, 6.7 x 9.4 in., 3.91 lb, 520 pages
“…takes the fraught history of witches and imbues it with a magic befitting its subject… Witchcraft is a celebration of true, even threatening power—by those who possess it least, and deserve it most.”
“Eye-opening and thought-provoking.”
“A lavish coffee-table book. [Witchcraft] surveys the shadow and the light the witch has cast across the Western imagination.”
“A tour de force, taking you all the way through the global history of witchcraft.”
“A visually vibrant volume that isn't so much a book as it is a spellbinding tribute to a figure and a practice that are as old as time.”
“Witchcraft offers a deep dive into the many facets of a centuries-old tradition in the Western world.”
“A densely packed book that takes a deep dive into the many archetypes the witch has taken throughout the course of time.”
“[This] powerful new book blows away the satanic baby-eating myths.”
“In this compendium of witchy women, from Renaissance paintings to modern Wicca, the caricature of the evil hag is turned upside down.”
“In scouring the history of art to back up their modern-pagan perspective, the editors point to something remarkable.”
“Delves into the witch’s complex history, symbols, and depictions across time...”
“Going so soon? I wouldn’t hear of it. Why, my little party’s just beginning!”
“The ‘Library of Esoterica’ acts as a bridge between the dark halls of history and the vast data at our fingertips.”
“I think that all women are witches, in the sense that a witch is a magical being.”

Witchcraft. The Library of Esoterica
40Season of the Witch
A bewitching history of a magickal practice
Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone—seductress and destroyer.
Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by author, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the first of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies behind witchcraft traditions, as explored through the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists throughout time, from the dark seductions of Francisco José de Goya and Albrecht Dürer to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum’s iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy.
Throughout this entrancing visual voyage, we’ll also bear witness to the witch as she endures persecution and evolves into empowerment, a contemporary symbol of bold defiance and potent nonconformity. Featuring enlightening essays by modern practitioners like Kristen J. Sollée and Judika Illes, as well interviews with authors and scholars such as Madeline Miller and Juliet Diaz, Witchcraft includes a vast range of cultural traditions that embrace magick as spiritual exploration and creative catharsis.
Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by author, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the first of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies behind witchcraft traditions, as explored through the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists throughout time, from the dark seductions of Francisco José de Goya and Albrecht Dürer to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum’s iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy.
Throughout this entrancing visual voyage, we’ll also bear witness to the witch as she endures persecution and evolves into empowerment, a contemporary symbol of bold defiance and potent nonconformity. Featuring enlightening essays by modern practitioners like Kristen J. Sollée and Judika Illes, as well interviews with authors and scholars such as Madeline Miller and Juliet Diaz, Witchcraft includes a vast range of cultural traditions that embrace magick as spiritual exploration and creative catharsis.
The editors
Jessica Hundley is an author, filmmaker and journalist. She has written for the likes of Vogue, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times, and has authored books on artists including Dennis Hopper, David Lynch, and Gram Parsons. Hundley often explores the counterculture in her work, with a focus on metaphysics, psychedelia, and magic.
Pam Grossman is a writer, curator, and teacher of magickal practice and history. She is the host of the podcast The Witch Wave, and the author of Waking the Witch. Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power. Her work has been featured in such outlets as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Artforum.
Witchcraft. The Library of Esoterica
Hardcover, quarter-bound, 17 x 24 cm, 1.77 kg, 520 pagesISBN 978-3-8365-8560-6
Edition: EnglishDownload product images here
The Library of Esoterica explores how centuries of artists have given form to mysticism, translating the arcane and the obscure into enduring, visionary works of art. Each subject is showcased through both modern and archival imagery culled from private collectors, libraries, and museums around the globe. The result forms an inclusive visual history, a study of our primal pull to dream and nightmare, and the creative ways we strive to connect to the divine.
5.0
This Book is Magic
September 11, 2025
A wonderful Book with a lot of historical and modern Pictures and art about Witchcraft, a great read with a lot of informations. Much better then expected and most of the other books about witchcraft.March 27, 2024
Also greatMagnificent
November 22, 2023
Absolutely magnificent book. Keep in mind that this is more of an art review book where you go through different subjects and how they were portrayed in different artworks, eras and art schools. But there is quite a bit of information on whichery as well!!sehr schönes Kunstwerk
November 22, 2023
Habe das Buch verschenkt und die Beschenkte ist begeistert. Tolle Bilder, informativ...sehr inspirierend.Diosas
November 16, 2023
No lo he terminado, tiene no mucho que lo tengo y es una joya.
100% recomendadoOctober 21, 2023
Absolutely lovely book!