1928 Edition Malleus Maleficarum On eBay

The first English translation of the 1489 edition of the Malleus Maleficarum, which was translated by the Rev. Montague Summers, is being auctioned on eBay. This is the edition which we have replicated here on this web site. If you’re a book collector and have an interest in The Inquisition or the Occult, this is simply a must-have.

According to the owner, this edition was published by John Rodker of London in 1928. There were 1,275 numbered copies in this edition, this book being number 79. Red leatherette at the spine, gilt titling to spine, gilt decoration on front cover, 277 pages with no illustrations. Front hinge is cracked and there is a slight bowing of the boards. Rubbed boards. Tight binding. Rough uncut fore edge pages as called for.

None of us can afford original editions of the Malleus Maleficarum. They’re scattered about the world in museums and private collections. But here’s an opportunity to own at least the first English translation of the work. A more accurate translation has since been published by Dr. Christopher Mackay, but the Summers translation will always bear a historical significance.