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As Walter Stephens demonstrates in \"Demon Lovers\", it was not Hausmannin or other so-called witches who were obsessive about sex with demons - instead, a number of devout Christians, including trained theologians, displayed an uncanny preoccupation with the topic during the centuries of the \"witch craze\". Why? To find out, Stephens conducts a detailed investigation of the first and most influential treatises on witchcraft (written between 1430 and 1530), including the infamous \"Malleus Maleficarum\" (\"Hammer of Witches\"). Far from being credulous fools or mindless misogynists, early writers on witchcraft emerge in Stephens's account as rational but reluctant skeptics, trying desperately to resolve contradictions in Christian thought on God, spirits and sacraments that had bedeviled theologians for centuries. Proof of the physical existence of demons - for instance, through evidence of their intercourse with mortal witches - would provide strong evidence for the reality of the supernatural, the truth of the Bible, and the existence of God. Early modern witchcraft theory reflected a crisis of belief - a crisis that continues to be expressed today in popular debates over angels, Satanic ritual child abuse and alien abduction.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49587200524561,"sku":"GOR007956609","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49728841646353,"sku":"NGR9780226772622","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50405403918609,"sku":"CIN0226772624G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51518093164817,"sku":"CIN0226772624VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0226772624.jpg?v=1751290846"},{"product_id":"how-writing-made-us-human-3000-bce-to-now-book-walter-stephens-9781421446646","title":"How Writing Made Us Human, 3000 BCE to Now","description":"A sweeping history of how writing has preserved cultural practices, traditions, and knowledge throughout human history.  In How Writing Made Us Human, 3000 BCE to Now, Walter Stephens condenses the massive history of the written word into an accessible, engaging narrative. The history of writing is not merely a record of technical innovations—from hieroglyphics to computers—but something far richer: a chronicle of emotional engagement with written culture whose long arc intimates why the humanities are crucial to society.   For five millennia, myths and legends provided fascinating explanations for the origins and uses of writing. These stories overflowed with enthusiasm about fabled personalities (both human and divine) and their adventures with capturing speech and preserving memory. Stories recounted how and why an ancient Sumerian king, a contemporary of Gilgamesh, invented the cuneiform writing system—or alternatively, how the earliest Mesopotamians learned everything from a hybrid man-fish. For centuries, Jews and Christians debated whether Moses or God first wrote the Ten Commandments. Throughout history, some myths of writing were literary fictions. Plato's tale of Atlantis supposedly emerged from a vast Egyptian archive of world history. Dante's vision of God as one infinite book inspired Borges's fantasy of the cosmos as a limitless library, while the nineteenth century bequeathed Mary Shelley's apocalyptic tale of a world left with innumerable books but only one surviving reader.   Stephens presents a comprehensive history of the written word and demonstrates how writing has preserved and shaped human life since the Bronze Age. These stories, their creators, and their preservation have inspired wonder and an endless appetite for historical revelation.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49745588814097,"sku":"NGR9781421446646","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50102572908817,"sku":"CIN1421446642G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50888400929041,"sku":"GOR014105882","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51025192845585,"sku":"NIN9781421446646","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1421446642.jpg?v=1750794289"},{"product_id":"demon-lovers-book-walter-stephens-9780226772615","title":"Demon Lovers","description":"On September 20, 1587, Walpurga Hausmannin of Dillingen in southern Germany was burned at the stake as a witch. Although she had confessed to committing a long list of \"maleficia\" (deeds of harmful magic), including killing 41 infants and two mothers in labour, her evil career allegedly began with just one heinous act - sex with a demon. Fornication with demons was a major theme of her trial record, which detailed an almost continuous orgy of sexual excess with her diabolical paramour Federlin \"in many diverse places ...even in the street by night\". As Walter Stephens demonstrates in \"Demon Lovers\", it was not Hausmannin or other so-called witches who were obsessive about sex with demons - instead, a number of devout Christians, including trained theologians, displayed an uncanny preoccupation with the topic during the centuries of the \"witch craze\". Why? To find out, Stephens conducts a detailed investigation of the first and most influential treatises on witchcraft (written between 1430 and 1530), including the infamous \"Malleus Maleficarum\" (\"Hammer of Witches\"). Far from being credulous fools or mindless misogynists, early writers on witchcraft emerge in Stephens's account as rational but reluctant skeptics, trying desperately to resolve contradictions in Christian thought on God, spirits and sacraments that had bedeviled theologians for centuries. Proof of the physical existence of demons - for instance, through evidence of their intercourse with mortal witches - would provide strong evidence for the reality of the supernatural, the truth of the Bible, and the existence of God. Early modern witchcraft theory reflected a crisis of belief - a crisis that continues to be expressed today in popular debates over angels, Satanic ritual child abuse and alien abduction.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50522755498257,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50522757300497,"sku":"CIN0226772616G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0226772616.jpg?v=1750694140"},{"product_id":"of-trees-cows-and-other-nonsense-book-walter-stephens-9781977206268","title":"Of Trees, Cows and Other Nonsense","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51063414063377,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51063417274641,"sku":"NIN9781977206268","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1977206263.jpg?v=1751030050"},{"product_id":"notes-on-the-mineralogy-of-part-of-the-vicinity-of-dublin-book-walter-stephens-9781143216930","title":"Notes On the Mineralogy of Part of the Vicinity of Dublin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Notes On the Mineralogy of Part of the Vicinity of Dublin\" by Walter Stephens offers a detailed exploration of the minerals found in the Dublin area. This historical work provides insights into the geological composition of the region as it was understood in the early 19th century. Stephens' observations and descriptions contribute to the scientific knowledge of the time and offer a valuable resource for understanding the historical context of mineralogical studies. The book is a fascinating look at the natural resources and scientific inquiry of early 19th century Ireland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51111779598609,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51111781138705,"sku":"NIN9781143216930","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1143216938.jpg?v=1751174750"},{"product_id":"blackfriars-book-walter-stephens-9783337252298","title":"Blackfriars","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52479358468369,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52479359287569,"sku":"NLS9783337252298","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9783337252298.jpg?v=1759848599"},{"product_id":"blackfriars-book-walter-stephens-9783337102746","title":"Blackfriars","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52590703706385,"sku":"NLS9783337102746","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9783337102746.jpg?v=1761062578"},{"product_id":"blackfriars-book-walter-stephens-9783337102777","title":"Blackfriars","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52597670609169,"sku":"NLS9783337102777","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9783337102777.jpg?v=1761074725"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-walter-stephens.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}