author
George Lincoln Burr
1857–1938
A Cornell historian with a detective’s eye for rare sources, he became especially known for his work on witchcraft, superstition, and religious persecution. His career also placed him close to Cornell founder Andrew Dickson White, whose librarian, secretary, and longtime collaborator he became.
1 Audiobook
The literature of witchcraft
by George Lincoln Burr
About the author
Born in 1857, he built most of his career at Cornell University as a historian, educator, and librarian. Reliable accounts describe him as one of Andrew Dickson White’s closest collaborators; while still a student, he worked as White’s librarian and secretary, traveled in Europe to help acquire manuscripts and early books, and later joined Cornell’s history faculty.
His scholarship ranged across medieval and early modern Europe, with a lasting interest in superstition, witchcraft, and persecution. That mix of archival digging and broad historical storytelling helped make him an important figure in American historical writing of his time.
He died in 1938. Today he is still remembered both for his own historical work and for the role he played in shaping Cornell’s collections and intellectual life.