Bodin Jean. Demonomania De Gli Stregoni.. Di Gio. Bodino Francese.. In Venetia. Aldo. 1592

Bodin Jean (ca. 1530-1596). Demonomania de gli stregoni, cioè fvrori, et malie de demoni.. di Gio. Bodino francese.. In Venetia. Presso Aldo. 1592.

A celebrated polemical treatise against the belief in witchcraft, first published in 1580. The work circulated widely within the religious and legal debates of the early modern period, but was later placed on the Index of Prohibited Books in 1594 by decree of Pope Clement VIII, where it remained until 1887, a clear indication of its controversial stance in relation to the official doctrine of the time. The present Venetian edition, translated into Italian by Ercole Cato and edited by Niccolò Manassi, is regarded by the bibliographer Antoine-Augustin Renouard as the most authoritative among the Italian versions of the text. It belongs to the rich and dynamic Venetian publishing environment of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when Venice stood as one of Europe’s leading centers for printing and the dissemination of scholarly works. Divided into four books, the treatise examines with juridical and theological rigor the issues of witchcraft, magic, and alleged demonic possession. The author addresses these subjects through an analysis of biblical sources, patristic tradition, and canon law, often questioning the reliability of accusations brought against alleged witches and criticizing the abuses that characterized many contemporary trials. In this sense, the work functions not only as a polemical text but also as a kind of practical guide intended for the courts and jurists dealing with such cases. The edition is further enriched with valuable reference apparatus, including the “Tavola delle cose più notabili,” an analytical index facilitating consultation of the principal topics, and the rare list of books “di stampa d’Aldo,” an important testimony to the typographical tradition associated with the celebrated press of Aldus Manutius and to the broader Renaissance dissemination of classical and humanistic literature.

8° (8,62x6,46in)

Private collection

Aldine woodcut printer’s device on the title page; woodcut initials and decorative ornaments in the text. The first and last leaves show pronounced dampstaining and moisture damage, though without loss of text. Lighter traces of dampstaining to the remaining leaves. The final leaf with an old repair and reinforcement to the inner margin. Modern paperboard binding.