Worlds of Fear and Wonder (Paperback with flaps)

Worlds of Fear and Wonder (Paperback)

Living with the Supernatural, Past and Present

Malcolm Gaskill

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How the supernatural unlocks a deeper understanding of the past, from the Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Ruin of All Witches

'Every page is illuminating' Philippa Gregory
'Gaskill lifts the veil between past and present better than anyone I know' Lucy Worsley

Praise for Malcolm Gaskill:

'The best and most enjoyable history writing ... Gaskill goes to meet the past on its own terms and in its own place ... Thought-provoking and absorbing' Hilary Mantel

The supernatural has always been part of human experience. Divine and diabolical forces were as dangerous and mundane as rotten harvests and sweeping sicknesses. Miracles abounded. During the First World War, soldiers put faith in visions and protective charms, and Spiritualists were still believed to reach beyond the veil. When we understand the supernatural as a feeling, not an idea, we can grasp the truth behind our ancestors' fears and passions.

In this thought-provoking book, Gaskill examines our haunted past from alchemical dens to witchcraft trials, and in uncanny encounters with mediums, vampires and flying nuns. Searching hearts as well as minds, he unlocks the secrets of the unseen world, opening a new perspective on the magical and marvellous.

Publication date: October 8, 2026

£12.99

ISBN: 9781805229391

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: History & Classics

Worlds of Fear and Wonder (Accessible EPUBAccessible EPUB)

Worlds of Fear and Wonder (Ebook)

Living with the Supernatural, Past and Present

Malcolm Gaskill

Preorder from

Amazon Kobo Apple Books

How the supernatural unlocks a deeper understanding of the past, from the Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Ruin of All Witches

'Every page is illuminating' Philippa Gregory
'Gaskill lifts the veil between past and present better than anyone I know' Lucy Worsley

Praise for Malcolm Gaskill:

'The best and most enjoyable history writing ... Gaskill goes to meet the past on its own terms and in its own place ... Thought-provoking and absorbing' Hilary Mantel

The supernatural has always been part of human experience. Divine and diabolical forces were as dangerous and mundane as rotten harvests and sweeping sicknesses. Miracles abounded. During the First World War, soldiers put faith in visions and protective charms, and Spiritualists were still believed to reach beyond the veil. When we understand the supernatural as a feeling, not an idea, we can grasp the truth behind our ancestors' fears and passions.

In this thought-provoking book, Gaskill examines our haunted past from alchemical dens to witchcraft trials, and in uncanny encounters with mediums, vampires and flying nuns. Searching hearts as well as minds, he unlocks the secrets of the unseen world, opening a new perspective on the magical and marvellous.

Publication date: October 8, 2026

£9.99

ISBN: 9781805229407

ISBN 10 / ASIN: B0GDGG8LL7

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: History & Classics

Reviews for Worlds of Fear and Wonder

'Humorous and humane, Malcolm Gaskill's a writer of rare wizardry. He lifts the veil between past and present - and between ourselves and our illusions - better than anyone else I know'

Lucy Worsley 

'This is that rare thing: an accurate history of beliefs and phenomena that have never been accurately recorded. With critical intelligence and uncritical empathy, Malcolm Gaskill cuts through the prejudices of the present and the fears of the past, suspending disbelief about beliefs. Every page is illuminating'

Philippa Gregory, author of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL 

'Utterly fascinating, full of wondrous historical detail and ever stranger things, Malcolm Gaskill's beautifully written book seeks to explain - with admirable empathy and objectivity - how we look to the supernatural to make sense of our metaphysical selves'

Philip Hoare, author of WILLIAM BLAKE AND THE SEA MONSTERS OF LOVE 

'A compelling and fascinating examination of how emotions and belief shaped history and continue to give meaning to life today'

Zoe Venditozzi, author of HOW TO KILL A WITCH 

'A wide-ranging, elegant meditation on the history of the supernatural, its fearful thrills, dangers and persistence into scientific modernity'

Marion Gibson, author of WITCHCRAFT: A HISTORY IN THIRTEEN TRIALS 

'This book is full of weird and wonderful stories - but, to the people who lived through them, they were real experiences, not just stories. As an accomplished historian, Malcolm Gaskill shows how a past that was haunted by demons and witches was different from the present. He also shows, even more importantly, how supernatural terrors still matter today'

Julian Goodare, author of THE EUROPEAN WITCH-HUNT 

'A delightful romp through the angels, demons, wizards and witches that shape our modern superstitions. Gaskill shows us just how ghosts, ghouls and vampires were conjured up to send our ancestors shivering under the bedsheets, and reveals the truth about the supernatural is even more fun than the folktales'

Kit Chapman, author of THE AGE OF ALCHEMY 

'PRAISE FOR MALCOLM GASKILL - 'The best and most enjoyable history writing'

Hilary Mantel 

'As compelling as a campfire story ... Gaskill brings this sinister past vividly to life'

Erica Wagner Financial Times

'Mr Gaskill's approach brings the fate of his subjects movingly to life'

 Economist

'Simply one of the best history books I have ever read ... His deeply imaginative, empathetic and yet empirical exploration of a past moment of crisis is history at its finest'

Suzannah Lipscombe BBC History

'Gaskill invites you to rethink where memory ends and history begins'

Dominic Sandbrook, 'The Best Books of 2025' The Times

Malcolm Gaskill

Malcolm Gaskill

Malcolm Gaskill is Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History at UEA, and the author of Hellish Nell, Witchfinders, The Glass Mountain and the Sunday Times-bestselling The Ruin of All Witches. He is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books.