Witchcraft in Europe and America This link opens in a new windowThe earliest texts in this comprehensive collection on witchcraft date from the 15th century and the latest are from the early 20th century. The majority of the material concerns the 16th to 18th centuries, the so-called "classic period." In addition to these classic texts, the collection includes anti-persecution writings, works by penologists, legal and church documents, exposs of persecutions, and philosophical writings and transcripts of trials and exorcisms.