An Understanding of the Nature of Witches

An Understanding of the Nature of Witches (referred to as UNW from her forward) is a book whose authorship is unclear. There are three leading theories on who the author was, and many more fringe theories that will not be discussed here. The only things known for certain about the author is that they were a woman, that they lived before Witches were known to be real, and that they were close friends with two Witches. The first theory, which places the book as being written in the 3100s, is that the book was written by one Amelia Pine. Pine was born on Mars and spent the majority of her life travelling the System, seeking out adventure. The crew of the ship she spent the majority of her life on was largely consistent, which lends well to the idea that she would be able to maintain a long friendship with a pair of Witches on the same ship. If this theory is true, the Witches known as T and S would have to have been Sira Leghy and Tomas Leghy, a married couple. There is no evidence that the Leghys were Witches, though there is also no evidence against it.
The second theory, which places the book as being written in the 3200s, is that the book was written by Holly Graves. Graves was born on Venus before falling into a life of piracy. She spent her entire career as a pirate on the same ship, though it went through several names during her time, before settling down somewhere unknown with her wife, May Graves. If this theory is true, T and S would be Sirena De Ville and Tobias De Ville, a married couple of controversial pirates whose origins are unclear. Their deaths were also never recorded and, due to the legend built up around them, some believe they have no yet died. Despite such wild claims, there is very little evidence that the De Villes were Witches. Any tales of them preferring Magics could easily be written off as simply part of their legend. However, it is not impossible that there is truth in this myth.
The third theory, which places the book as being written in the 3400s, is that UNW was a hoax created by Maybelle Finn. This is the supposed discoverer of the book, though she claims that it is real. The state UNW was found in was, it has been argued, far too pristine for it to have been written as long ago as Finn claimed. Attempts at dating the book have been inconclusive, as has been every attempt to verify that it is authentic. This does not rule out the possibility that it may, indeed, be authentic, but it does cause doubt.
UNW chronicles what it was like to be close friends with a pair of Witches referred to only as S and T. It is written in a light-hearted tone and makes repeated references to what can only be assumed to be inside jokes or things that would be easily understood at the time the book was written, but which is lost to us now. Despite this, it is still considered a very entertaining read. Copies of UNW have sold quite well, though it has been especially popular on Venus.