Charts the rise and fall of superstition in European history - from magical healing, spells, and divination, to the widespread belief in fairies and demons.
Comprehensive and wide-ranging - explores the debate over folklore from medieval times, through to the Renaissance, Reformation, and the Enlightenment
Sets shifting nature of `superstition` in historical context - from threat to `true religion` to `harmless` ethnic heritage.
Since the dawn of history people have used charms and spells to try to control their environment, and forms of divination to try to foresee the otherwise unpredictable chances of life. Many of these techniques were called `superstitious` by educated elites.

Contents:
Introduction
Part 1: Discerning and Controlling Invisible Forces: The Image of `Superstition` in the Literature
1: The Problems of Pre-Modern Life
2: A Densely Populated Universe
3: Helpful Performances: The Uses of Ritual
4: Insight and Foresight: Techniques of Divination
Part 2: The Learned Response to Superstitions in the Middle Ages: Angels and Demons
5: The Patristic and Early Medieval Heritage
6: Scholastic Demonology in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
7: The Demonological Reading of Superstitions in the Late Middle Ages: Areas of Consensus
8: The Demonological Reading of Superstitions in the Late Middle Ages: Areas of Difference and Disagreement
9: The pastoral use of the scholastic critique of superstitions
Part 3: Superstitions in Controversy: Renaissance and Reformations
10: Some Renaissance Christian Humanists and `Superstition`
11: Magic, the Fallen World, and Fallen Humanity: Martin Luther on the devil and superstitions
12: Prodigies, Providences and Possession: the 16th-century Protestant Context
13: The Protestant Critique of Consecrations: Catholicism as Superstition
14: The Protestant Doctrine of Providence and the Transformation of the Devil
15: Reformed Catholicism: Purifying Sources, Defending Traditions
Part 4: The Cosmos changes shape: Superstition is re-defined
16: Demonology becomes an open subject in the 17th century
17: Defending the `invisible world`: the campaign against `Saducism`
18: Towards the Enlightenment