Color map on endpages.

Includes bibliographic references (pages 481-482) and index.

The diseases of astonishment -- That old deluder -- The working of wonders -- One of you is a devil -- The wizard -- A suburb of hell -- Now they say there is above seven hundred in all -- In these hellish meetings -- Our case is extraordinary -- Published to prevent false reports -- That dark and mysterious season -- A long train of miserable consequences.

It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister's daughter began to scream and convulse. It ended less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been hanged and an elderly man crushed to death. The panic spread quickly, involving the most educated men and prominent politicians in the colony. Neighbors accused neighbors, parents and children each other. Aside from suffrage, the Salem Witch Trials represent the only moment when women played the central role in American history. In curious ways, the trials would shape the future republic.