The Book of Were-Wolves (Serpent Library Classics)

The Book of Were-WolvesSabine Baring-GouldIllustrated EditionFirst published in 1865, Sabine Baring-Gould’s The Book of Were-Wolves remains one of the most influential and entertaining studies ever written on the legend of the human wolf. Part folklore collection, part historical investigation, and part Victorian curiosity, this classic work traces the dark and fascinating tradition of lycanthropy across Europe and beyond.Drawing on medieval chronicles, court records, classical literature, and rural superstition, Baring-Gould examines the many forms the werewolf legend has taken: from ancient Greek tales of men transformed into wolves, to the terrifying witch trials of early modern France and Germany, where individuals were executed for alleged shapeshifting crimes. Along the way he recounts extraordinary historical cases-peasants, soldiers, hermits, and criminals accused of prowling the forests in wolfish form.What makes this work enduring is its balance between storytelling and scholarship. Baring-Gould does not merely repeat legends; he attempts to understand them. He explores the psychological, cultural, and religious ideas that gave rise to the belief in werewolves, offering one of the earliest systematic studies of the phenomenon.This new Serpent Books illustrated edition presents the complete text in a carefully designed modern format and is enriched with original digital illustrations by J. Van del Gelimer, created especially for this volume. The artwork evokes the atmosphere of nineteenth-century gothic engraving while bringing the legendary figures of the werewolf tradition vividly to life.A cornerstone of folklore studies and a classic of Victorian occult literature, The Book of Were-Wolves continues to fascinate readers interested in mythology, superstition, and the darker corners of the human imagination.This edition offers a beautifully produced gateway into one of the foundational texts of werewolf lore.