A substantial and attractive copy of the most exhaustive encyclopedia of magic, witchcraft, and demonology produced during the Counter-Reformation. First published in 1599, Jesuit theologian Martin Del Rio’s Disquisitionum Magicarum (Investigations into Magic) rapidly superseded the Malleus Maleficarum as the primary reference for clergy, inquisitors, and secular magistrates across Europe.
This massive work is divided into six "books" covering every conceivable aspect of the occult sciences as understood in the early modern period:
Book I: On the nature of Magic in general (Natural vs. Demonic).
Book II: On Demonic Magic specifically (contracts with the Devil, sexual relations with spirits, alchemy).
Book III: On Maleficia (harmful magic, weather magic, inducing illness).
Book IV: On Divination and Prophecy (necromancy, hydromancy, and the discernment of spirits).
Book V: On the judicial procedures for accusing and trying witches.
Book VI: On the function of the confessional and pastoral counsel for those afflicted by magic.
Del Rio's scholarship was vast; he cites over 1,000 authors, blending classical history, scholastic theology, and contemporary folklore. While infamous for its harsh stance on witchcraft—providing the legal and theological justification for the persecution of witches in both Catholic and Protestant lands (including influence on the Salem Witch Trials)—it remains a vital resource for the study of Renaissance intellectual history, preserving countless details of folklore, alchemical practice, and early scientific thought that would otherwise be lost.
This edition features the renowned engraved title page depicting scenes from the Book of Exodus, contrasting the divine miracles of Moses with the false sorcery of the Pharaoh’s magicians: a visual thesis statement for the book’s contents.
Very good condition. The contemporary vellum binding is sturdy and attractive, showing typical age-toning and soiling commensurate with 350 years of use. The manuscript titling on the spine remains distinct and legible. The text block is tight. The paper shows the characteristic browning and foxing typical of German paper stocks from this period (the "Cologne brown"), varying in intensity throughout but leaving the text fully legible. The elaborately engraved title page is present and in good condition, slightly trimmed at the margins. An excellent, honest example of a "working copy" from a 17th-century library.
Martin Del Rio. Disquisitionum Magicarum Libri Sex. Quibus continetur accurata curiosarum artium, et vanarum superstitionum confutatio. Cologne: Sumptibus Hermanni Demen. 4°. (16), 1221, (48) pp. Engraved title page depicting scenes from Exodus. Contemporary full vellum binding with manuscript title on spine, text block browned and foxed typical of Cologne imprints, bookplate of Caroli de Hoffman on front pastedown.
A substantial and attractive copy of the most exhaustive encyclopedia of magic, witchcraft, and demonology produced during the Counter-Reformation. First published in 1599, Jesuit theologian Martin Del Rio’s Disquisitionum Magicarum (Investigations into Magic) rapidly superseded the Malleus Maleficarum as the primary reference for clergy, inquisitors, and secular magistrates across Europe.
This massive work is divided into six "books" covering every conceivable aspect of the occult sciences as understood in the early modern period:
Book I: On the nature of Magic in general (Natural vs. Demonic).
Book II: On Demonic Magic specifically (contracts with the Devil, sexual relations with spirits, alchemy).
Book III: On Maleficia (harmful magic, weather magic, inducing illness).
Book IV: On Divination and Prophecy (necromancy, hydromancy, and the discernment of spirits).
Book V: On the judicial procedures for accusing and trying witches.
Book VI: On the function of the confessional and pastoral counsel for those afflicted by magic.
Del Rio's scholarship was vast; he cites over 1,000 authors, blending classical history, scholastic theology, and contemporary folklore. While infamous for its harsh stance on witchcraft—providing the legal and theological justification for the persecution of witches in both Catholic and Protestant lands (including influence on the Salem Witch Trials)—it remains a vital resource for the study of Renaissance intellectual history, preserving countless details of folklore, alchemical practice, and early scientific thought that would otherwise be lost.
This edition features the renowned engraved title page depicting scenes from the Book of Exodus, contrasting the divine miracles of Moses with the false sorcery of the Pharaoh’s magicians: a visual thesis statement for the book’s contents.
Very good condition. The contemporary vellum binding is sturdy and attractive, showing typical age-toning and soiling commensurate with 350 years of use. The manuscript titling on the spine remains distinct and legible. The text block is tight. The paper shows the characteristic browning and foxing typical of German paper stocks from this period (the "Cologne brown"), varying in intensity throughout but leaving the text fully legible. The elaborately engraved title page is present and in good condition, slightly trimmed at the margins. An excellent, honest example of a "working copy" from a 17th-century library.
Martin Del Rio. Disquisitionum Magicarum Libri Sex. Quibus continetur accurata curiosarum artium, et vanarum superstitionum confutatio. Cologne: Sumptibus Hermanni Demen. 4°. (16), 1221, (48) pp. Engraved title page depicting scenes from Exodus. Contemporary full vellum binding with manuscript title on spine, text block browned and foxed typical of Cologne imprints, bookplate of Caroli de Hoffman on front pastedown.
