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ALDE
79
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BODIN (Jean). On the Demonomania of Witches.
See original version (French)
79
-
BODIN (Jean). On the Demonomania of Witches.
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Voluntary lot
Description
BODIN (Jean). On the Demonomania of Witches. Paris, Jacques du Puys, 1587. Quarto, olive morocco, triple gilt rule, monogram at the corners, coat of arms in the centre, plain spine decorated with the same monogram repeated, gilt edges (contemporary binding). Seventh edition of this famous compendium on witch-hunts.
This is the sixth and final edition published by the Parisian bookseller Jacques Du Puy, who had published the original in 1580. It was based on the 1581 edition, but has been extensively corrected and expanded.
It is the only edition of the work to include the complete minutes of the trial of Abel de la Rue, known as ‘le Casseur’, a tanner, sentenced to death for witchcraft by Nicolas Quatresolz, lieutenant to the bailiff of Coulommiers, which comprise 10 ff.n.ch. following the table of contents.
Roland Villeneuve summarises this vitriolic treatise as follows in his *Dictionnaire du diable*: ‘A jumble of popular beliefs, inconsistencies and prejudices, cloaked in a mantle of prodigious erudition, *Demonomania*, condemned as heretical by the Holy Inquisition, advocates the use of denunciation and falsehood, the interrogation of young children, and the complete eradication of witchcraft through cremation. ’ Nevertheless, on other subjects, its author was one of the finest minds of his century and among the most progressive, as evidenced by his famous *République* (1576).
A fine copy bearing the coat of arms and cipher of Charles de Valois (1573–1650), Duke of Angoulême, with highly sought-after provenance.
The illegitimate son of King Charles IX and Marie Touchet, Charles de Valois enjoyed the protection of Henry III and Catherine de’ Medici, who called him the ‘little bastard’ and bequeathed to him the counties of Auvergne and Lauraguais. Married to the daughter of the Constable of Montmorency, this prince distinguished himself at the battles of Arques, Ivry, Fontaine-Française, and others. However, his affairs with the Marquise de Verneuil led to his being sentenced to life imprisonment. He regained his freedom in 1616, however, thanks to Henriette d’Entragues, the former mistress of Henry IV, and, upon his release from prison, took part in the siege of Soissons, then in 1628 in that of La Rochelle, and never ceased to fight bravely on all fronts, in Languedoc, Germany, Flanders, etc.
The fine and extensive library of the Duke of Angoulême, a passionate bibliophile like his ancestors, was bequeathed by his son, Louis-Emmanuel de Valois (1596–1653), Count of Alais, to the Minimes convent at La Guiche in Charolais, to which he was connected through his wife, Henriette de La Guiche, and whose handwritten ex-libris appears on the title page of this volume.
Missing folio 158 (marked Rr2). Skillful and discreet restoration to the binding. Marginal water-stain on around fifteen folios.
Crahay-Isaac-Lenger, F-7 – Dorbon, no. 387 – Caillet, no. 182 – Guigard, I, 34 – OHR, 2600.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Antique books – Alchemy & the occult sciences
Auction location
Auction time
11/04/2026 at 2:00 PM
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