Food From The Far West Or, American Agriculture, With Special Reference To Beef Production ... Book

Sir Walter Scott is famous for his novels and this is evident through his engaging language. His carefully constructed sentences are clear, colorful and meaningful. This book is a skeptical rationalist take on the witch trials in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries along with some legends and anecdotes of paranormal apparitions. Scott sympathizes with the unfortunate victims who were burned as witches and he takes the time to explain why superstitions about witches arose, why these superstitions are incorrect, and just how illogical the accusations and interrogations were. He makes it clear that he is a Christian and believes that humans have souls; he just doesn't believe that God is overly generous with miracles involving resurrections, which means he doesn't believe in ghosts. A downside of this book is that the chapters don't follow any obvious organization and the rambling anecdotes make it feel a bit like reading an encyclopedia with commentary rather than a grand cohesive argument.