1930 1st Edition 1st Printing
THE DISCOVERIE OF WITCHCRAFT
By Reginald Scott, Montague Summers
Author Bio: Reginald Scot (c.1538–1599) was a Kentish gentleman and MP whose sceptical Discoverie became the first substantial English treatise on witchcraft and a landmark of rationalism; it also contains the earliest detailed English descriptions of conjuring.
Augustus Montague Summers (10 April 1880 – 10 August 1948) was an English author, clergyman, and teacher. He initially prepared for a career in the Church of England at Oxford and Lichfield, and was ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1908. He then converted to Roman Catholicism and began styling himself as a Catholic priest. He was, however, never affiliated with any Catholic diocese or religious order, and it is doubtful that he was ever actually ordained to the priesthood. He was employed as a teacher of English and Latin while independently pursuing scholarly work on the English drama of the 17th century. The latter earned him election to the Royal Society of Literature in 1916. Noted for his eccentric personality and interests, Summers became a well known figure in London society as a result of the publication of his History of Witchcraft and Demonology in 1926. That work was followed by other studies on witchcraft, vampires, and werewolves, in all of which he professed to believe. Summers also produced a modern English translation, published in 1929, of the 15th-century witch hunter's manual, the Malleus Maleficarum. He has been characterized as "arguably the most seminal twentieth century purveyor of pop culture occultism."
Synopsis: A substantial Introduction by Rev. Montague Summers:
A brisk biographical sketch of Reginald Scot and a survey of the book’s publication history (1584; reissues 1651, 1654; expanded 1665; 19th-century Nicholson reprint).
The cultural and theological context of Elizabethan witch beliefs and prosecutions.
A (famously partisan) critique of Scot’s scepticism. Summers—who believed in the literal reality of witches—argues that Scot went too far in dismissing diabolic agency, positioning the Discoverie as influential but, in his view, theologically unsound.
Notes on the book’s afterlife and influence (on stage magic, on writers like Shakespeare, and on later demonological debates).followed by Scot’s full text with the famous diagrams and woodcut-style figures reproduced.
A faithful, finely produced facsimile of one of the foundational English works on witchcraft and conjuring, originally published 1584.
Format: Hardcover, folio (fo 12 × 19 in 305 × 483 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Limited Edition: 416/1275 Copies
Language: English
Published By: John Rodker, London
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Very Good - Limited edition of 1,275, this No. 416. Publisher's quarter morocco, gilt titles to spine, extremities rather bumped and worn, a few marks to boards, head and tail of the spine & joints a little rubbed, edges uncut, front hinge strained with binding exposed after ffep, printed on Dutch paper, occ. spot, else good. An early 20th century limited edition facsimile of Scot's importrant examination into early modern witches & magic. Folio.
The binding is solid and entirely original; the leather spine shows mild rubbing and light scuffing to the extremities, with minimal loss of gilt. The cloth boards are clean overall but show moderate wear at the corners and top/bottom edges. Internally the plates, wood-cuts, sigils and diagrams are crisp and uniformly bright; text block is clean and free from annotations, tears or repairs. A few leaves show very light foxing (chiefly the front and rear endpapers) and the front hinge shows slight separation visible at the gutter, but remains sound. Overall a Good+ to Very Good- copy of a highly collectible edition.
Collation:
xxxvii, [1], 282, [1]pp
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
SKU: BTETM0002657
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 3Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
1930 1st Edition 1st Printing
THE DISCOVERIE OF WITCHCRAFT
By Reginald Scott, Montague Summers
Author Bio: Reginald Scot (c.1538–1599) was a Kentish gentleman and MP whose sceptical Discoverie became the first substantial English treatise on witchcraft and a landmark of rationalism; it also contains the earliest detailed English descriptions of conjuring.
Augustus Montague Summers (10 April 1880 – 10 August 1948) was an English author, clergyman, and teacher. He initially prepared for a career in the Church of England at Oxford and Lichfield, and was ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1908. He then converted to Roman Catholicism and began styling himself as a Catholic priest. He was, however, never affiliated with any Catholic diocese or religious order, and it is doubtful that he was ever actually ordained to the priesthood. He was employed as a teacher of English and Latin while independently pursuing scholarly work on the English drama of the 17th century. The latter earned him election to the Royal Society of Literature in 1916. Noted for his eccentric personality and interests, Summers became a well known figure in London society as a result of the publication of his History of Witchcraft and Demonology in 1926. That work was followed by other studies on witchcraft, vampires, and werewolves, in all of which he professed to believe. Summers also produced a modern English translation, published in 1929, of the 15th-century witch hunter's manual, the Malleus Maleficarum. He has been characterized as "arguably the most seminal twentieth century purveyor of pop culture occultism."
Synopsis: A substantial Introduction by Rev. Montague Summers:
A brisk biographical sketch of Reginald Scot and a survey of the book’s publication history (1584; reissues 1651, 1654; expanded 1665; 19th-century Nicholson reprint).
The cultural and theological context of Elizabethan witch beliefs and prosecutions.
A (famously partisan) critique of Scot’s scepticism. Summers—who believed in the literal reality of witches—argues that Scot went too far in dismissing diabolic agency, positioning the Discoverie as influential but, in his view, theologically unsound.
Notes on the book’s afterlife and influence (on stage magic, on writers like Shakespeare, and on later demonological debates).followed by Scot’s full text with the famous diagrams and woodcut-style figures reproduced.
A faithful, finely produced facsimile of one of the foundational English works on witchcraft and conjuring, originally published 1584.
Format: Hardcover, folio (fo 12 × 19 in 305 × 483 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Limited Edition: 416/1275 Copies
Language: English
Published By: John Rodker, London
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Very Good - Limited edition of 1,275, this No. 416. Publisher's quarter morocco, gilt titles to spine, extremities rather bumped and worn, a few marks to boards, head and tail of the spine & joints a little rubbed, edges uncut, front hinge strained with binding exposed after ffep, printed on Dutch paper, occ. spot, else good. An early 20th century limited edition facsimile of Scot's importrant examination into early modern witches & magic. Folio.
The binding is solid and entirely original; the leather spine shows mild rubbing and light scuffing to the extremities, with minimal loss of gilt. The cloth boards are clean overall but show moderate wear at the corners and top/bottom edges. Internally the plates, wood-cuts, sigils and diagrams are crisp and uniformly bright; text block is clean and free from annotations, tears or repairs. A few leaves show very light foxing (chiefly the front and rear endpapers) and the front hinge shows slight separation visible at the gutter, but remains sound. Overall a Good+ to Very Good- copy of a highly collectible edition.
Collation:
xxxvii, [1], 282, [1]pp
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
SKU: BTETM0002657
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 3Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
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