Paul S. Boyer
Paul Samuel Boyer was an American historian known for his work on American cultural and intellectual history. He authored several influential books and was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. By The Bomb's Early Light
American Thought and Culture at the Dawn of the Atomic Age
This insightful work delves into the profound cultural and societal shifts in America following the advent of nuclear weapons during and after World War II. It explores how the atomic bomb's introduction reshaped public consciousness, influencing everything from politics and science to art and religion. The narrative captures the pervasive anxiety and fascination with nuclear power, highlighting the ways in which it permeated everyday life and altered the American psyche, leaving a lasting impact on the nation's identity and its perception of the future.
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2. When Time Shall Be No More
Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture
This insightful exploration delves into the intricate relationship between apocalyptic beliefs and American culture, examining how these eschatological ideas have influenced political, social, and religious landscapes throughout history. The narrative traces the evolution of end-time prophecies from the colonial era to the modern day, highlighting their impact on public policy, popular culture, and individual worldviews. By analyzing various religious movements and their interpretations of biblical prophecy, the work offers a comprehensive understanding of how apocalyptic thought has shaped and continues to shape the American experience.
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3. Salem Possessed
The Social Origins of Witchcraft
A detailed social history that explains the 1692 Massachusetts witchcraft crisis as the outcome of local rivalries, family feuds, economic change, and partisan politics rather than mere mass hysteria or solely supernatural belief. Drawing on court records, town papers, and testimony, it reconstructs how factionalism between village and town interests, disputes over property and inheritance, gender and generational tensions, and religious anxieties created the conditions for accusations to spread and for normal legal safeguards to break down. The analysis emphasizes the embedded social networks of accusers and accused and shows how long‑standing community conflicts were channeled into charges of witchcraft, producing a catastrophic eruption of fear, suspicion, and punitive violence.
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