Compendium Maleficarum; Collected In 3 Books from Many Sources by Brother Fransesco Maria Guazzo of the Order Of S. Ambrose ad Nemus; Showing the Inquitous and Execrable Operations of Witches Against the Human Race, and the Divine Remedies by Which they may be Frustrated...
London: John Rodker, 1929. First edition thus. Hardcover. Small Quarto. xxii + 206 pp. Black parchment spine with gilt embellished red cloth boards, gilt titling etc to spine, b&w woodcut illustrations. Specially made rag paper, fore- & bottom-edges uncut. Volume III of the Church & Witchcraft series, this edition limited to 1275 hand numbered copies, this being copy number 252. The "Compendium Maleficarum" was written by an assesor at witchcraft trials, Francesco Maria Guazzo, at the request of the Bishop of Milan, and became a standard handbook for witch hunters in the seventeenth century. The text is here translated from the 1608 Milan edition. PLEASE NOTE. There is a half-inch chip missing from the parchment at the top of the spine that has caused the loss of the word "Compendium" from the spine title. There is also some splitting to the parchment at the rear hinge, and a tiny amount of rubbing to the points. Pages uniformly toned, otherwise internally it is bright, tight and clean: if it were not for the damage to the spine it would have been a lovely copy, but because of that it would only rate as Good. Priced in accord with its condition (no dust jacket). Large book, may require additional shipping depending on destination. Item #67962
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