author
Montague Summers
1880–1948
Best known for writing about witches, vampires, and Gothic fiction as if they were startlingly real, this wonderfully eccentric English scholar also helped revive interest in Restoration drama. His books still attract readers who enjoy the strange meeting point of literature, folklore, and the occult.
1 Audiobook
The history of witchcraft and demonology
by Montague Summers
About the author
Montague Summers was an English author, teacher, and self-styled clergyman born in Bristol in 1880 and died in 1948. He studied theology, was ordained as an Anglican deacon, later converted to Roman Catholicism, and became famous for his theatrical personal style as much as for his writing.
He wrote widely on witchcraft, demonology, vampirism, and werewolves, often treating these subjects with unusual seriousness rather than as mere legend. He also produced important studies and editions of Restoration drama and Gothic literature, helping keep older plays and tales of horror in circulation for new readers.
What makes Summers memorable is the mix of scholarship and showmanship in his work. He could move from careful literary research to dark supernatural subjects with complete conviction, which gives his books a tone unlike almost anything else from his time.