The Malleus Maleficarum: The Witch Hunter's Guide

The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology is a comprehensive reference book that explores the history, practices, and beliefs surrounding witchcraft and demonology throughout different cultures and time periods. It delves into the origins of witchcraft, tracing its roots back to ancient civilizations and mythologies. The main idea of this encyclopedia is to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the various practices and beliefs associated with witchcraft and demonology. It covers a wide range of topics including the Salem witch trials, European witch hunts, and different types of witchcraft, such as Wicca and Voodoo. The book also explores the different types of demons and their role in various belief systems. It provides insight into how demons have been portrayed in literature, art, and folklore, and examines the historical significance of demonic possession and exorcism.

New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1959. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. Octavo. Black faux leather, with grey lettering. Corners slightly bumped and spine tearing and chipped at top, but still holding. Interior clean. This book attempts to tell the story of witchcraft, and its associations with demonology and heresy, from a very Christian point of view..

To better understand this phenomenon, Robbins examines how the meaning of witch has evolved and exposes the true nature of witchcraft--a topic widely discussed in popular culture, though remarkably misunderstood. Accompanying the text are 250 illustrations from rare books, contemporary prints, and old manuscripts, many of which have been published here for the first time.

It provides insight into how demons have been portrayed in literature, art, and folklore, and examines the historical significance of demonic possession and exorcism. One of the main focuses of this encyclopedia is to dispel misconceptions and myths surrounding witchcraft and demonology. It offers a balanced and objective view of these subjects, taking into account historical context, cultural perspectives, and scholarly research.

The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology (1959)

With research sourced by the world's greatest libraries, Robbins has compiled a rational, balanced history of 300 years of horror concentrated primarily in Western Europe. Spanning from the 15th century through the 18th century, the witch-hunt frenzy marks a period of suppressed rational thought; never before have so many been so wrong. To better understand this phenomenon, Robbins examines how the meaning of "witch" has evolved and exposes the true nature of witchcraft--a topic widely discussed in popular culture, though remarkably misunderstood.First published in 1959, Robbins' encyclopedia remains the most authoritative and comprehensive body of information about witchcraft and demonology ever compiled in a single volume. Lavishly acclaimed in academic and popular reviews, this full-scale compendium of fact, history, and legend covers about every phase of this fascinating subject from its origins in the medieval times to its last eruptions in the 18th century. Accompanying the text are 250 illustrations from rare books, contemporary prints, and old manuscripts, many of which have been published here for the first time.Rossell Hope Robbins (1912-1990), an acknowledged authority on witchcraft, was one of the half-dozen Americans ever elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He authored over a dozen books and nearly 200 articles, including the definitive introduction to the catalogue of the Witchcraft Collection at Cornell University Library in 1979. He was a Commonwealth Fellow, Canada Council Professor, and he received grants from the Modern Language Association of America and from the American Council of Learned Societies. He also served as Chairman of the Middle English Division of the MLA, President of the Medieval Club of New York, research associate at Harvard and Columbia Universities. Robbins has lectured extensively on medieval topics and witchcraft at universities throughout the world. … (more)

Sylak: Both wheatley's and Hans Holzer's books are so alike in style and format that they could be considered part one and two of an unofficial set.

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The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology is about the infamous witch hunts and witch trials from 1450 to 1750. There are over 100 names of persons accused of being witches, authors about witches or witch hunting, those who presided over witch trials, and those who wrote against witch trials. We also get to learn about famous witch trials besides Salem, although Salem has its own entry. We follow the delusion from what would become the United Kingdom through Scandinavia. It was interesting to learn that until the 13th century, the Catholic Church believed that the acts of witches weren't real. Pity it ever changed. I was also surprised to learn that the witchcraft of the hunts and trials was considered a Christian heresy. Those we normally think of as witches are using sorcery. From the entry on trials, it appears that we have the Inquisition to thank for the belief in the witchcraft heresy (a belief opposed by the Franciscans).

The weak of stomach might wish to skip the entry on torture as well as those entries for various instruments of torture. One thing made very clear is that torture did get victims to admit to being witches as well as accuse others of being witches. It's also made clear that forcing the accused to accuse others was to keep the witch hunts and trials going.

Until I read this book, I had no idea what a profitable business witch trials were for those who engaged in them. Check the entry on 'Costs of Witch Trials'. The condemned witch or his/her family had to pay all of the costs of the trial if the poor soul lived in France, what would become Germany, or Scotland. Think of it: one paid for one's own guards, torture, execution, and the after-execution banquet. Anything left of one's estate went to the clergymen, judges, doctors, and the persons involved, including those who cut the fire for the burning. One of the pages is the Archbishop of Cologne's price list for the various types of torture and other expenses involved, including salves for the victim or getting those bones broken during torture set. DO NOT READ that list if you have a weak stomach.

There are also entries on various types of witches and what they were supposed to be able to do, such as storm raising. Werewolves, demons, vampires, and poltergeists have their entries. Probably my favorite nugget of information is in the entry on demonology, more specifically, the Third Hierarchy of Hell. Did you know there was a demon named Olivier whose heavenly opponent was Lawrence?

This book is amply illustrated with reproductions of engravings, woodcuts, portraits, the occasional bas relief, title pages of books, handwritten documents, and at least one map.

I highly recommend this book to any adult with an interest in the witch hunts and witch trials, as well as the curious beliefs about witches from the Bad Old Days. ( )

(c) 1959, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, N.Y. Old version in excellent condition. Information prior to the Wiccan reconstructionist viewpoint. Great as a reference resource volume.

With research sourced by the world's greatest libraries, Robbins has compiled a rational, balanced history of 300 years of horror concentrated primarily in Western Europe. Spanning from the 15th century through the 18th century, the witch-hunt frenzy marks a period of suppressed rational thought; never before have so many been so wrong. To better understand this phenomenon, Robbins examines how the meaning of "witch" has evolved and exposes the true nature of witchcraft--a topic widely discussed in popular culture, though remarkably misunderstood.

The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology serves as a valuable resource for those interested in learning about the history and beliefs surrounding witchcraft and demonology. It provides a wealth of information and is a valuable tool for researchers, students, and anyone with an interest in these topics..

Reviews for "The Dark Art of Spellcasting and Rituals"

1. Emily - 2/5 - As someone who has always been intrigued by the occult, I was excited to explore "The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology." However, I was left disappointed by the lack of depth in the content. The chapters felt rushed, and many topics were only briefly touched upon. Additionally, the writing style was dry and lacked any sense of excitement or intrigue. While the book does provide a broad overview of the subject, it failed to captivate me and left me yearning for more in-depth information and analysis.

2. Michael - 1/5 - I found "The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology" to be an incredibly outdated and biased source of information. The author presented a one-sided view of witchcraft, portraying all witches as evil and promoting stereotypical beliefs. The content lacked the necessary historical context and failed to provide a nuanced understanding of the subject matter. Moreover, the language used throughout the book was archaic and difficult to follow. I would not recommend this book to anyone seeking an unbiased and thorough exploration of witchcraft and demonology.

3. Sarah - 2/5 - "The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology" fell short of my expectations. While it does cover a wide range of topics related to witchcraft and demons, the information provided lacks depth and critical analysis. I found myself wanting more context and evidence to support the claims made by the author. Furthermore, the book's layout and organization were confusing, making it difficult to navigate and find specific information. Overall, I was left unsatisfied with this book and would recommend seeking out alternative sources for a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.

The Different Types of Witches and Their Practices