Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer Page A

have abridged many long-winded passages, updated much of the spelling, and clarified a small number of the most archaic terms. To find the original texts, please refer to the notes. Because this tale is so very dark in tone, and to echo 17th-century woodcuts, I decided to do the artwork in black and white with a few small red accents. I conjured up the pictures on Ampersand Scratchbord, a hard thin board covered with a layer of extremely white clay and then coated with black India ink. Making the artwork involves a labor-intensive process calling for a sharp pointed scratch knife that cuts away the black ink coating until a picture appears. The red accents are added by computer. To ensure the accuracy of my art, I referred to period works and photographs I took in and around Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts.

    To see me working on the art for this book, scan this code or text Witches to 20583. To get a mobile scanner, text NatGeo to 20583. On your computer, go to YouTube.com and search for “Rosalyn Schanzer.”