Malleus Maleficarum Volume II: The English Translation

The Malleus Maleficarum is the most famous early modern text on witches and witch hunting. Often known as “Hammer of Witches,” the Malleus consists of a demonstration of the existence of witchcraft and a discussion of both the practice of witchcraft and cures for the injuries caused by it, together with a recommended method of exterminating it judicially. It was republished twenty-six times in the early modern period, and remained a standard text on witchcraft for centuries. Yet this key text has never before been available in a reliable modern scholarly edition. This fully annotated edition is based on the first edition of 1486-7 and presents the Latin text together with a full textual apparatus. The extensive introduction discusses the authorship, method of composition, and intellectual background of the work. The second volume provides the only accurate English translation available, together with detailed explanatory notes. This important edition makes this vital text accessible to historians of the period and offers extraordinary insights into the attitudes and prejudices inspired by the fear of witches.