Malleus Maleficarum 2 Volume Set [Hardcover]

Christopher S. Mackay (Translator)

List Price:	CDN$ 379.95
Price:	CDN$ 322.22 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save:	CDN$ 57.73 (15%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Tuesday, May 29? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout.

Product Details

Hardcover: 1344 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (Dec 11 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0521859778
ISBN-13: 978-0521859776
Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 16.2 x 8.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 2.4 Kg
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,019,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Review

"A superb critical edition and translation..."
-Alan Charles Kors, The Wall Street Journal Online

Product Description

The Malleus Maleficarum is the most famous early modern text on witches and witch hunting. Often known as the '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. 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 an accurate English translation, 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.

See all Product Description

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum by Christopher S. Mackay Paperback

CDN$ 19.40

The Malleus Maleficarum of Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger by Montague Summers Paperback
3.6 out of 5 stars (52)

CDN$ 12.24

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Share your experience with this product with others

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History and Translation, May 7 2007

By Erictho - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Malleus Maleficarum 2 Volume Set (Hardcover)

This is an informative look at a major historical text, readable (and enjoyable) by both the academic world and lay readers. The English translation will replace the woefully inaccurate Summers edition while the Latin text will become the standard modern academic editon of this important document. The introduction provides a factually enlightening interpretation of the background of the text from any number of points of view. The translation itself is very exciting to read, and the notes not only provide further information and sources but are actually amusingly written in their own right. The set will be of use and interest to anyone who wants to know more about the historical underpinnings of the medieval /early moder conception of witchcraft in their contemporary contexts. It also has just enough salacious anecdotes to make learning fun.

PS -- The first reviewer is factually wrong in part. For example, Mackay explains his terminology at length -- "sorcerer" is used not because he thinks modern readers will be unfamiliar with "male witch" but because of the needs of the Latin and of the authors' mindset. "Malefium" = act of sorcery (literally an act of "evil-doing"), while malefica = female performers of sorcery (evil deeds) and maleficus = male performer of evil deeds; sorcery, sorceress, and sorcerer preserve the relationship of the Latin terminology. The whole situation becomes entirely confused if you have to use "witchcraft", "witch" and "male witch" since it obscures the "evil" associated with witches in the mindset of the inquisitors. "Witch" and "male witch" are also misleading since their usage sounds as though the female is the default gender while the point is that anyone, regardless of their sex, can perform these acts of evil doing.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for Academics, but Lacking, Feb 18 2009

By Matthew R. Miller "Professional Nerd" - Published on Amazon.com

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Malleus Maleficarum 2 Volume Set (Hardcover)

As an academic whose field is French medieval demonology and withcraft, I am obviously excited to have a new critical version of the Latin text. I find the English translation to be very good, if not excellent, but not quite superior. I can see the point of using "sorcerer" versus "male witch." However, as an academic text (the Latin), it is seriously lacking in gloss and references. Moreover, the lack of a bibliography and an index is outrageous. Still, it is nice to see that there are still people interested in this most remarkable work.

7 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, May 7 2007

By Red Witch - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Malleus Maleficarum 2 Volume Set (Hardcover)

This edition lacks an index or a complete bibliography, an infuriating omission that seriously undermines the usefulness of this set.

While the blurb spruiks it as the only accurate translation and the only modern edition (of the Latin), there is no discussion at all of other translations (and their merits).

Some of the author's decisions about the translation of terms in this edition are highly questionable. For instance, the word 'witch' is not used at all (sorcerer is used instead), contrary to the universal practice and understanding of the time. The author imagines that the modern reader will be confused by the idea of a male witch!

The introduction, while lengthy, is dry and minimalist. The reader finds themselves constantly being directed elsewhere (in footnotes etc) to the more detailed and/or interesting discussions of others.

There is very little here to tempt anyone who is not a professional academic writing on the Malleus.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars