The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege

In preparation for my first visit to the famed 'Witch City' I came across Ms. Roach's HUGE volume. I have always been fascinated by the dark history of Salem, Mass (in fact, I did a big project about it in eighth grade) but I wanted to be quite sure I was on the up and up about everything that went on in 1692 and I was sure that a day-by-day chronicle would be just the prescription. I began reading it thinking that I may be bored as it was very detailed but I was anything BUT bored! This book is truly fascinating and informing. Ms. Roach's style of writing really brought me into the court rooms of 1692 Salem and I was better able to understand what happened then. I highly recommend anyone wanting to know more about the Witch Trials of Salem to buy this book.

I can't even begin to imagine how much time and effort went into writing this book. Roach created a day to day synopsis of the events surrounding the Salem witch trials for a period of several years, and the bibliography is quite extensive. Not only has this book broadened my horizons in the realm of American history, but it has also raised my own standards for what I expect from any history book, including research I do, myself. Thank you, Mariilynne K. Roach!

Enjoyed the significant day-by-day format -- easy to follow and shows the progression of the trial hysteria. Good index for finding people involved in the trial.

I believe I own every book ever published about the Salem Witch Trials, including some that have been out of print for more than a hundred years. Of course, I like some better than I like others, however, Ms. Roach's book is at the top of my list of favorites. There is an introduction leading up to the witch craze and from there, the author documents, on a day-by-day basis, the events that transpired beginning January 1, 1692, through January 14, 1697. In addition to recording events directly pertaining to the witch madness, the author also includes weather conditions taken from journals maintained by Gov. Winthrop et al., baptisms, etc. which gives one a better perspective of life during the witch hunts. There is also an epilogue listing later events pertaining to the Salem trials through October 31, 2001, when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts declared all those accused in 1692 innocent of witchcraft. Reviewing numerous volumes and voluminous papers to produce a readable chronology is a major accomplishment, and THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS is both a scholarly work and an interesting, informative book. It is also a great reference. For example, if I am writing about the accusations of John and Elizabeth Proctor, I am able to quickly find when they were arrested, who testified against them, etc. Additionally, each chapter contains numerous endnotes and there is an extensive bibliography. In fact, every book I own about the Salem trials-except two-are included in the bibliography and I commend Ms. Roach on her thoroughness. I highly recommend THE SALEM WITH TRIALS, A DAY-BY-DAY CHRONICLE, to anyone interested in the trials, life in Puritan New England, or the history of witchcraft and magic.

For all of those interested in reading about witchcraft hysteria, Ms. Roach's new book, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-To-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege, (written after twenty-seven years of exhaustive research) documents the day-by-day events which culminated in one of the most shameful and horrifying chapters in America's heritage. Her meticulous footnoting and chronological accounts of how this historical oddity unfolded makes this book a valuable tool for historians and students. Also, the careful writing makes it an enjoyable reading for those that like to be caught up in the glorious intonations of prosaic language. Highly recommended!