Description
Bodin Jean (c. 1530-1596). Demonomania de gli stregoni, i.e. frenzies and sorceries of demons.. by Gio. Bodino of France.. In Venice. At Aldo's. 1592.
Celebrated polemical treatise against the belief in witchcraft, first published in 1580. The work had significant circulation in the religious and legal debates of the modern age, but was later included in the Index of Forbidden Books in 1594 by decree of Pope Clement VIII, remaining there until 1887, a sign of its controversial nature compared to the official doctrine of the time. The present Venetian edition, translated into Italian by Ercole Cato and edited by Niccolò Manassi, is considered by scholar Antoine-Augustin Renouard to be the most authoritative among the Italian versions of the text. The edition is part of the vibrant Venetian publishing scene between the 16th and 17th centuries, when Venice represented one of the main European centers for printing and circulation of scholarly works. Structured in four books, the work analyzes with legal and theological method issues related to witchcraft, magic, and alleged demonic possession. The author addresses these themes by examining biblical foundations, patristic tradition, and canon law, often questioning the reliability of accusations leveled against alleged witches and criticizing the abuses of contemporary trials. In this sense, the treatise is configured not only as a polemical text but also as a sort of manual intended for courts and jurists dealing with such proceedings. The edition is also enriched by highly useful appendices for the reader: the "Table of the Most Notable Things," an analytical index that facilitates consultation of the main themes, and the rare list of books "from Aldo's printing," a precious testimony to the typographic tradition linked to the famous workshop of Aldus Manutius and the diffusion of classics and humanist works in the Renaissance.
Dimensions
4to (219x164mm)
Provenance
Private collection
Condition
Aldine woodcut printer's mark on the title page; woodcut initials and ornaments in the text. First and last leaves affected by marked halos and moisture damage, however without loss or compromise of text. Lighter traces of moisture on the remaining leaves. Last leaf with an antique restoration and reinforcement to the inner margin. Modern binding in cardboard.
