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Compendium Maleficarum: The Montague Summers Edition
This extraordinary document, considered one of the most important manuals ever compiled on witchcraft, offers striking insight into the early seventeenth-century mind and society's attempts to cope with the evils it saw manifested in sorcery.
A collection of writings by the Ambrosian monk Francesco Maria Guazzo, the Compendium comprehensively and penetratingly describes the entire practice and profession of witchcraft. First published in 1608, the commentaries came at an appropriate time. Contemporary accounts noted that witchcraft and sorcery had "spread in all directions," leaving "no country, town, village, or district, no class of society" free from the practice. This probing work, by a distinguished writer and scholar who perceived the devil as an evil force seeking to destroy men's bodies and souls, was an attempt to help man live piously and devoutly, thus guarding against such seductions and manipulations.
Reproduced from a rare limited edition published in 1929 and supplemented with many erudite editorial notes by the Rev. Montague Summers, the Compendium Maleficarum includes profoundly serious discussions of witches' pacts with the devil, finely detailed descriptions of witches' powers, poisons, and crimes; sleep-inducing spells and methods for removing them, apparitions of demons and specters, diseases caused by demons, and other topics. Also examined in detail are witches' alleged powers to transport themselves from place to place, create living things, make beasts talk and the dead reappear; witches' use of religion to heal the sick, laws observed by witches to cause and cure illness, differences between demoniacs and the bewitched, and other subjects from the realm of the supernatural.
Here is an encyclopedic tract of incalculable worth to the historians and student of the occult and anyone intrigued by necromantic lore, sabbats, sorceries, and trafficking with demons.
A collection of writings by the Ambrosian monk Francesco Maria Guazzo, the Compendium comprehensively and penetratingly describes the entire practice and profession of witchcraft. First published in 1608, the commentaries came at an appropriate time. Contemporary accounts noted that witchcraft and sorcery had "spread in all directions," leaving "no country, town, village, or district, no class of society" free from the practice. This probing work, by a distinguished writer and scholar who perceived the devil as an evil force seeking to destroy men's bodies and souls, was an attempt to help man live piously and devoutly, thus guarding against such seductions and manipulations.
Reproduced from a rare limited edition published in 1929 and supplemented with many erudite editorial notes by the Rev. Montague Summers, the Compendium Maleficarum includes profoundly serious discussions of witches' pacts with the devil, finely detailed descriptions of witches' powers, poisons, and crimes; sleep-inducing spells and methods for removing them, apparitions of demons and specters, diseases caused by demons, and other topics. Also examined in detail are witches' alleged powers to transport themselves from place to place, create living things, make beasts talk and the dead reappear; witches' use of religion to heal the sick, laws observed by witches to cause and cure illness, differences between demoniacs and the bewitched, and other subjects from the realm of the supernatural.
Here is an encyclopedic tract of incalculable worth to the historians and student of the occult and anyone intrigued by necromantic lore, sabbats, sorceries, and trafficking with demons.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 8, 2010
beautiful woodcuts of witches and devils! and the cutest little tale of an 8-year-old witch that i must share: "In the district of Treves a peasant was planting cabbages in his garden with his eight-year-old daughter, and praised the girl highly for her skill in the work. The young maid... boasted that she could do more wonderful things than that; and when her father asked what they were, she said: "Go away a little, and I will quickly make it rain on whatever part of the garden you wish." He was astonished, and said "Come then, I will go a little away." And when he had withdrawn the girl dug a trench and pissed in it, and beat the water with a stick, muttering I know not what, and behold there fell from the clouds a sudden rain upon the said place."
December 28, 2014
One of the influential books of western civilization. This was the book used by the Inquisition and jurists to determine who was a witch in Europe during the witch trials. Definitely for the historian or horror specialist.
January 25, 2026
I will quote Montague Summers, from his introduction (Summers' introductions are always as delightful as they are creepy), "To the historian, to the occult student, Guazzo's work is of incalculable worth."
That would sum it up, I think. Reading this book gives insight into the ideology of those who believed in witchcraft at the time and the obsessive depth of how they'd invent perverse fictional "facts." The insight of reading someone like Summers, introducing the work, shows us just how persecution works.... you can see it in our political era. A "believer" in this kind of thing believes because they want to, because it makes sense on some unconscious level of desire. You can see it in Summers, who is okay with disputing that "some" of the work about witches might be suspect, but overall he mostly believes... just as someone might see a video of an ICE agent killing someone in mindless rage, and without justification, but that person seeing it still supports the idea of targeting immigrants, so the lack of sensible connection between the two is overcome by the irrational unconscious connection.
Oops, I made this post about the book turn into a political rant. But that's not entirely inappropriate... what was witch persecution if not a collective fantasy and redirection of hate and fear, just as today's political arena...
That would sum it up, I think. Reading this book gives insight into the ideology of those who believed in witchcraft at the time and the obsessive depth of how they'd invent perverse fictional "facts." The insight of reading someone like Summers, introducing the work, shows us just how persecution works.... you can see it in our political era. A "believer" in this kind of thing believes because they want to, because it makes sense on some unconscious level of desire. You can see it in Summers, who is okay with disputing that "some" of the work about witches might be suspect, but overall he mostly believes... just as someone might see a video of an ICE agent killing someone in mindless rage, and without justification, but that person seeing it still supports the idea of targeting immigrants, so the lack of sensible connection between the two is overcome by the irrational unconscious connection.
Oops, I made this post about the book turn into a political rant. But that's not entirely inappropriate... what was witch persecution if not a collective fantasy and redirection of hate and fear, just as today's political arena...
October 11, 2023
I am giving Compendium Maleficarum The Montague Summers Edition all the damned stars, because this book had me cracking tf up. I cannot believe hundreds of thousands of people around the globe died gruesome deaths in Witch trials due to accounts like those listed. Which most are absolute horseshit, and others are easily explained today. This dude actually said a demon farted and the stench lasted for three whole days, not even incense would get rid of the smell. The way I cackled. My dude tooted and scooted.
Anyway. It's an okay book. Definitely entertaining, definitely will make you want to punch your Christian ancestors in the face harder than you already do. It'll give you a chuckle, unless you're Christian. In that case, you're about to be scared shitless.
Anyway. It's an okay book. Definitely entertaining, definitely will make you want to punch your Christian ancestors in the face harder than you already do. It'll give you a chuckle, unless you're Christian. In that case, you're about to be scared shitless.
August 10, 2019
DNF @ page 90
I was hoping this would be more entertaining/ informational in terms of witchcraft views at the time. Unfortunately, it's just a lot of he said, she said and God allows these horrible things to happen and we are too lowly to question it. 14th century religious mindset I guess - still doesn't make for a serious, let alone, believable read.
I was hoping this would be more entertaining/ informational in terms of witchcraft views at the time. Unfortunately, it's just a lot of he said, she said and God allows these horrible things to happen and we are too lowly to question it. 14th century religious mindset I guess - still doesn't make for a serious, let alone, believable read.
March 3, 2026
Read it knowing it’s gonna piss you off.
Read it knowing it’s all one sided and graphically horrific.
Read it knowing it’s all tethered to a faith that claims its teachings and fundamental core value depicts “love”.
Hysteria at its finest, ladies and gentlemen (with the real witches sitting on the side lines by the way…).
Read it knowing it’s all one sided and graphically horrific.
Read it knowing it’s all tethered to a faith that claims its teachings and fundamental core value depicts “love”.
Hysteria at its finest, ladies and gentlemen (with the real witches sitting on the side lines by the way…).
July 22, 2020
Fascinating... very dry, yet seeing a snapshot into the minds of people from back then is absolutely fascinating.
June 14, 2010
The text was very interesting, I think what most detracted from it was the mindset of the author (And translator) in regards to the subject matter. There is definitely a Catholic bias that is representative of the 17th century and prior. Anything non-Catholic is regarded as heretical, Mary is regarded as a Goddess, massacres of "heretics" are justified, etc... I suppose I have a hard time remaining objective when it comes to some of it. I do feel some contempt for the author in terms of the hypocrisy I see in the majority of classical Catholic doctrine in regards to the teachings and symbols of Christ. Despite, this, it was interesting to see the view of the clergy of the time in regards to the supernatural.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews