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Viking acquires 'fascinating and illuminating' narrative non-fiction from Anthony Bale
Viking has acquired The First Witch, a "fascinating and illuminating" narrative non-fiction from Anthony Bale, professor at the University of Cambridge and author of A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages. Daniel Crewe, publishing director, bought world rights from Veronique Baxter at David Higham in an exclusive submission. Publication is scheduled for Spring 2027.
The book investigates the real case of a woman called Alice Kyteler, who was tried for witchcraft in the Irish town of Kilkenny in 1324. The First Witch looks at the origins of the concept of the "witch", and the role played by witchcraft in medieval and later societies.
The publisher explained that like A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages, The First Witch is a "creative narrative, combining translated primary sources and bespoke maps with a range of narrative perspectives, an element of subjectivity, and by imagining what might have happened in places where we have no other ways of filling in the gaps".
Crewe said: "Anthony’s writing is completely enthralling: his enthusiasm and erudite understanding brings the past to life in a manner more vivid than fiction. Combining fascinating insights into the medieval world, from Ireland, into Europe, and beyond, Anthony is both a wonderful storyteller and a groundbreaking historian. We are thrilled to be publishing this exceptionally original and important new work."
Bale said: "The story of the 1324 Kilkenny witchcraft allegation—which includes terrible elements of tragedy and many moments of human weakness—deserves to be better known. The witch is often thought of as a ‘medieval’ character par excellence, and in The First Witch, I will show how she came into being at a particular time and place, and in a lasting representation. At once magician, outsider, heretic and strong woman. I will show how people all over Europe, from the papal palace at Avignon to the lanes of Kilkenny, from the villages of the Italian Tyrol to the north of Norway, were thinking about witchcraft. In doing so, these people were creating the witch, a figure between reality and fantasy who would be a lasting presence throughout the world."
