Cotton Mather chronicles the Salem witch trials which took place in New England in the late 18th century. Together with the trials, this book holds detailed accounts of devilish phenomena Mather believed were linked to the discovery of the local witches. Mather discusses a range of spiritual phenomena reported by various figures in the fledgling society of New England. Sudden apparitions, visions, and other strange goings on which she believed were linked to the frequent finding of witches are cataloged. The bulk of the text however is concerned with the trials of many witches, the causes of their accusations, and the circumstances under which they were tried. Mather's book is today one of the best and most complete primary narratives of what came to be known as the Salem witch trials; with accounts of witnesses, judges, and evidence put forward all present. Furthermore, Mather's book was published in 1693, shortly after the trials were concluded.

In The Discovery of Witches, Matthew Hopkins - the Witch Finder General of England during the early 1600s - details the process by which he found and captured suspected witches. Hopkins' treatise is comprised of answers to various queries he had received by members of the public curious about his investigatory techniques in finding witches. This book answers a total of fourteen queries, with replies ranging from a few sentences to a few paragraphs in length. The book is an illustrative portrayal of a society fervently given to superstitions about the powers of witchcraft. At three hundred women killed, the efforts of Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne were prolific. Accorded status, Hopkins encountered opposition to his witch finding. That his 'investigations' required scant evidence to secure death sentences dismayed figures in the Church of England. Today, historians judge Hopkins as an opportunist who took advantage of unfounded suspicions to advance his own fame.