A mirror for witches
by Esther Forbes & Robert Gibbings (Illustrator)
- First published:
- 20th century
- Language: English
- Content type: Fiction
"A Mirror for Witches" by Esther Forbes is a historical novel written in the early 20th century. The story unfolds in the context of witch trials and the dark machinations surrounding a character named Doll Bilby, a girl with a mysterious origin linked to witchcraft. The narrative explores themes of good versus evil, the perception of witchcraft, and the consequences of desperate choices in a world filled with superstition and moral conflict. The opening of the novel introduces the reader to the infamous Doll Bilby, whose life is intertwined with that of devils and dark arts, starting from her tragic beginnings as the child of witch parents burned in a holocaust. As the narrative progresses, we learn about her adoption by the kind-hearted Captain Jared Bilby, her struggles with a troubled and jealous stepmother, and her unsettling powers that spark fear and suspicion among those around her. The tension builds as Doll navigates the complexities of her identity and the dark consequences of her actions, setting the stage for a story steeped in folklore and the supernatural, addressing her inner turmoil and the perceptions of a society gripped by fear of witchcraft. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Provenance
Why this book is in the catalog
Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Mythology, folklore, and sacred legends and Witchcraft and folk magic.
Controlled discovery queries from online-books-page and project-gutenberg matched “Witchcraft”, “witchcraft”, and “witches”. Retained metadata contains “witches” in the title, “Witchcraft” in the description, “witches” in the description, and 3 additional metadata match(es).
- “Witchcraft”· via The Online Books Page
- “witchcraft”· via Project Gutenberg
- “witches”· via Project Gutenberg
- “witches”· in title
- “Witchcraft”· in description
- “witches”· in description
Controlled discovery queries from project-gutenberg matched “folklore” and “mythology”. Retained metadata contains “Folklore” in the description and “Superstition” in the description.
- “folklore”· via Project Gutenberg
- “mythology”· via Project Gutenberg
- “Folklore”· in description
- “Superstition”· in description
Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.
Read & download
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Project Gutenberg ebook; public domain in the USA. Public domain in the USA.
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Editions
2 editions cataloged here.
| Edition | Date | Publisher | Language | ISBN | Access | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Online Books Page curated catalog record Sentry edition; Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1963 | 1963 | — | — | — | Source listed online copy | |
Project Gutenberg electronic edition Project Gutenberg metadata does not identify the source print edition. | 2025-01-26 | Project Gutenberg | English | — | Public domain (USA) |
Subjects
Identifiers & provenance
How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.
Identifiers
- Project Gutenberg
- Internet Archive
Cataloged from
- The Online Books Pageolbp102143 (opens in a new tab)
- Project Gutenbergprimary75212 (opens in a new tab)
Found via
Cataloging notes
- Illustrators: Gibbings, Robert
- Original print publication date and source edition are absent from Project Gutenberg metadata.
- Source-listed Library of Congress call number(s): PS3511 .O3495 M5 1963
- The Online Books Page bibliographic note: Sentry edition; Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1963
- Catalog id
- project-gutenberg:75212
- Edition coverage
- Multi source partial
- Retrieved










