Witchcraft of New England explained by modern spiritualism

Allen Putnam’s book attempts to reinterpret New England witchcraft through the framework of 19th-century Spiritualism, arguing that the phenomena were not evidence of diabolic witchcraft but of misunderstood psychic or mediumistic experiences. Historically, it reflects the period’s effort to reconcile older witchcraft records with new religious and occult ideas, and readers will find case discussions, speculative explanations, and polemical argument.

Allen Putnam (1828–1905) was an American spiritualist writer known especially for works defending and interpreting mediumship and the trance phenomena associated with Spiritualism. His books contributed to the literature of nineteenth-century psychical and religious inquiry, particularly in New England contexts.