THE GOD OF THE WITCHES (First paperback edition - first printing - published as an Anchor Book)

A first printing of the first American paperback edition, published in 1960 as A-212 in the Anchor Books series of paperback publications. The book was first published in the UK in hardback by Sampson Low. Marston in 1933, and again in 1952 published by Faber and Faber. Both the hardback editions are now scarce. ***Near fine in illustrated card covers, bound with a flat spine. The covers are clean - just slightly rubbed and marked from age and handling - with some rubbing at the edges and some browning to the white areas of the covers. With the original printed price of $1.45 ($1.65 in Canada) on the front cover. No creases or tears. Some light foxing marks and a small ink mark to the top edge of the page block. No reading lean to the binding. Spine flat (not rolled from reading) with just very light vertical reading creases. Spine browned but no overall fading. Internally also near fine with no previous ownership inscriptions. Interior pages clean with no foxing. No creases or tears. Printed on quite thin paper. ***180mm x 105mm. 222 pages including a section of References and an Index plus a 4pp publisher's catalogue at the back of the book. ***'Witchcraft has a perpetual fascination for the human mind Witches appear in the folklore of all nations, and the speculation about them is endless. Were they, in truth, some kind of supernatural beings who once lived on earth, or evil people, or, as much modern interpretation has tried to suggest, merely mentally ill? In this book, an eminent British anthropologist, using the tools of her trade, suggests a theory different from all of these: witches, says Dr. Murray, were the followers of the ancient pagan cult of the horned god - the oldest of all known gods - who were forced to go underground when Christianity swept over Europe as the official religion'. (Quote taken from the back cover) ***'Margaret Alice Murray (13 Jul 1863 - 13 Nov 1963) was a British Egyptologist, archaeologist, anthropologist, historian, and folklorist. The first woman to be appointed as a lecturer in archaeology in the United Kingdom, she worked at University College London (UCL) from 1898 to 1935. She was president of the Folklore Society from 1953 to 1955, and published widely. In 1894 she began studying Egyptology at UCL, developing a friendship with department head Flinders Petrie, who encouraged her early academic publications and appointed her junior lecturer in 1898. In 1902-1903, she took part in Petrie's excavations at Abydos, Egypt, there discovering the Osireion temple, and the following season investigated the Saqqara cemetery, both of which established her reputation in Egyptology. Murray became closely involved in the first-wave feminist movement, joining the Women's Social and Political Union and devoting much time to improving women's status at UCL. Unable to return to Egypt due to the First World War, she focused her research on the witch-cult hypothesis, the theory that the witch trials of Early Modern Christendom were an attempt to extinguish a surviving pre-Christian, pagan religion devoted to a Horned God. Although later academically discredited, the theory gained widespread attention and proved a significant influence on the emerging new religious movement of Wicca. (Wiki) ***A very interesting book - surprisingly uncommon in this first paperback edition. A lovely copy of this unusual item. Of particular interest to those studying the social history of Witchcraft from the perspective of anthropology. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only, and we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate (e.g. for paperbacks and pamphlets). For heavier books and sets, please contact us for postal rates before ordering, especially if purchasing from outside the UK. …