[.ca] Compendium Maleficarum: The Montague Summers Edition (ISBN 048625738X)

From Amazon.com:
The Compendium Maleficarum was the ultimate field guide for the beginning demonologist in the 17th century. Guazzo's Compendium was accepted by his contemporaries as the authoritative manuscript on witchcraft. Later demonologists continued to hail the conciseness and clarity with which Guazzo analyzes the practice. The Compendium not only gives an organized account of the subject matter but provides a glimpse at the Christian view of witchcraft during the early 17th century.

Witchtrials, not Wicca:
If you're looking for books relating to the modern religion called Wicca, then this book will probably not be what you're looking for. It is, however, excellent if you're looking for some insight into the beliefs of the witch hunters and the folk beliefs commonly held regarding witchcraft from that time. Many interesting tidbits for any hunter of lore, but due to the duress under which it was extracted in some cases and the author's tendency to present data that it is doubtful he made any attempt to substantiate even as folk belief, I would not recommend it as a primary research source. Excellent for understanding some of the beliefs of the witchunters and for the occassional bits of folklore. An interesting read. Good for getting a sense of perspective on the time period.

Misunderstood book:
The Compendium Maleficarum, a minor treatise on witchcraft, is really a misunderstood book. First, the book reflects popular superstitions and theological opinions of the late medieval/early Renaissance period about witchcraft and many of the latter were never binding upon Cathollics as they were only theories. Some of the book could pass as orthodox Catholic demonology... some of it is quaint, imprecise, and bizarre. Second, the book was not an attack on paganism but upon Satanism as is obvious from even a cursory reading of the book. The literary quality is highly debatable. Fine prose passages filled with imagination, wit, and learning are by far outnumbered by sentimental, awkward, and/or brutal sections. The book is much more popular than academic in style; hence, its at times repetitive and dull examples comprise the bulk of the book. Of interest mainly to students of Church history. Keep in mind that the mishmash of opinions and information imparted by an obscure monk is not the infallible teaching of the Holy Catholic Faith.

Famous for its woodcuts - Text by Guazzo contradictory:
This book became famous because of the woodcuts, which display acts of witchcraft. The text itself was not scientific, even by 17 century standards. This witch hunters manual was written by Guazzo, a rather uneducated italian monk, belonging to an obscure monastery, who had some local popularity among his farmers in northern italy, and who wrote this text to flatter one of his protectors. It seems, that he compiled his knowledge from a multitude of sources, without integrating them into coherent framework.The structure of the book is rather unclear, and Summers hints, that the original was written in very poor 'monks latin'.Its theory is even more contradictory than the 'Malleus Malleficarum', and therefore it never became an authoritative source - not even inside the vatican. It seems that this book's first edition in 1608 found very few readers,and that edition 2 in 1626 was published post mortem to commemorate a popular citizen, not to celebrate his 'science'. It seems that the woodcuts appeared in the second edition to attract readers,because the text itself attracted little interest. By the way, it is possible, but can not be proven, that this book caused the witch hunt in MILANO in early 17th century. Summary: minor source for history of witch hunt, famous for its superb woodcuts, not for its content,