“This book fills an important gap by exploring the often-tangled thought processes of the first generation of ‘witchcraft theorists’ . . . [who] constructed the essentials of the early modern notion of the witch. . . . This provocative, often fascinating, book poses an original and important perspective on the meaning of the witch-figure in the history of late-medieval and Renaissance theology. It is essential reading for those interested in the witch hunts, as well as those with a general interest in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century thought.”

Elspeth Whitney | Renaissance Quarterly

“Scholars of religion must be highly indebted to Walter Stephens for providing a responsible reading of witchcraft theorists. . . . His thesis is well supported, persuasive, and a welcome antidote to sensationalist accounts of witch persecution. . . . Demon Lovers is fascinating and instructive reading for anyone who notices and fears the gulf between human intentions and their effects.”

Margaret R. Miles | Journal of the American Academy of Religion

“This important book moves witchcraft from the periphery to the center of late-medieval and early-modern intellectual and religious culture, challenges the very distinction between medieval and early modern, and forces us to reconsider seriously some basic categories of premodern European thought and life.”

Michael D. Bailey | Speculum

“The book is valuable not only because of its focus on witchcraft theoreticians and witchcraft in a theological context, but also because Stephens focuses on influential, but little-studied, early thinkers. . . . The book is essential reading for all serious students of the subject. It is a major contribution to the rehabilitation of the literature of witchcraft theory.”

Edward Peters | The Historian