In 1692, a group of girls in Salem Village set off a witchcraft panic that engulfed eastern Massachusetts. As a result, nineteen people were hanged as witches and an old man was killed under torture. Through an engaging recounting of historical events enhanced by memorable photographs and illustrations, readers will examine witchcraft beliefs in Europe and colonial New England. They will examine the factors that influenced the panic in Salem, including why the town and the surrounding communities fell prey to such unbridled terror and why, instead of calling for calm and reason, the authorities also became swept up in the hysteria.