The Lancashire witchcraft panic of 1612 was not England's largest, but, for its size, it is the best documented – largely through the efforts of Thomas Potts, clerk of the assize court that hanged ten witches in Lancaster, plus a related one in York. Potts published The wonderfull discoverie of witches in the countie of Lancaster soon afterwards, a complex work including many trial documents. The Wonderfull discoverie has been much studied since, while several local historians have gone beyond it to the parish records, uncovering family relationships among the large cast of characters in the story – witches, victims, neighbours, magistrates and others. Philip Almond's new book, modestly subtitled a ‘chronicle’, fulfils the much-needed task of synthesising recent research and providing a clear overview of the story of the Lancashire witches. He acknowledges his debts to previous scholars, but feels no obligation to follow all their sometimes over-ingenious interpretations. He is particularly indebted to a wide-ranging collection of essays edited by Robert Poole (The Lancashire witches: histories and stories, 2002); his own work does not supersede Poole's, but it does provide an essential framework. Events are described clearly, and supported by a helpful chronological table and a list of characters. Almond also ranges widely for comparative material, which is particularly welcome. At one time English witchcraft was thought to be distinctive, standing in no need of ‘continental’ comparisons. Unlike ‘continental’ witchcraft, dominated by demonological ideas of pact and sabbath, English witchcraft was seen as driven by village quarrels, with witchcraft used to explain everyday misfortune. ‘Continental’ witches were prosecuted in epidemics of panic, English witches were prosecuted individually. However, this distinction has been crumbling for some time. Not all continental countries had panics, while many did have individual prosecutions driven by village quarrels. By acknowledging the presence of demonological ideas of pact and sabbath, Almond is in line with the latest English scholarship. After all, he is writing about a multiple prosecution. He does not use the word ‘panic’, but he does write of ‘persecution’ and a ‘witch hunt’. He also makes clear that the authorities stepped up their investigations when they came to believe that they were dealing with a conspiracy, and especially when they heard of a meeting of witches at Malkin Tower. The reality of this famous meeting has been disputed, and Almond's view that it really occurred is not entirely persuasive. He argues that if it had been fabricated, it would have been shaped to resemble a continental sabbath more closely – which surely ignores the complex interplay of interests and ideas in interrogations. Still, one strength of Almond's book is that it usually acknowledges complexity and even uncertainty, avoiding dogmatism. By setting the events of 1612 clearly in context, The Lancashire witches contributes usefully to the normalisation of English witchcraft.