Malleus Maleficarum

The Malleus Maleficarum, or “Hammer of Witches,” is the most influential treatise on witchcraft of the early modern period. Obsidian Codex Press presents it in two editions: an English Codex after Montague Summers’s 1928 translation, and a limited Latin Artefact reconstruction.

Choose an edition

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The work

First printed at Speyer in 1487, the Malleus Maleficarum was written by the Dominican inquisitor Heinrich Kramer. It became the most widely circulated treatise on witchcraft of the early modern period, reprinted across Europe for two centuries. Both editions restore the prefatory documents: the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus of 1484 and the Letter of Approbation from the University of Cologne of 1487.

The interior

The Codex presents Montague Summers's 1928 English translation, set in Adobe Jenson Pro on 90 gsm wood-free stock. The Artefact is a newly typeset reconstruction of the Latin, collated from sixteenth-century printed sources and modelled on the 1669 Lyon edition. Woodcuts, ornamental initials and printer's devices have been drawn from period sources and restored to their historical places.

The binding

Both editions are Smyth-sewn over 3 mm boards with rounded spines. The Codex is bound in black cloth, foil-stamped in gold with a Dominican cross on the spine, and housed in a red cloth slipcase. The Artefact is black leatherette with five raised bands and a deep ox-blood cross, in a matching clamshell case lined with ox-blood satin.

Compare the editions

Codex Edition COMING SOON · 982,11 kr Artefact Edition COMING SOON · 1.754,55 kr

Format462 pages, 7 x 10 in278 pages, 7 x 10 in

LanguageEnglish, after Montague Summers, 1928Latin, after the 1669 Lyon printing

PaperWhite 90 gsm wood-freeFedrigoni Arena Ivory 120 gsm, deckled edges

BindingBlack cloth over 3 mm boards, Smyth-sewn, rounded spineBlack leatherette over 3 mm boards, five raised bands

FoilGold on front board and spine, Dominican crossBlind-debossed spine with papal keys; ox-blood cross on front board

CaseRed cloth slipcase with silkscreened woodcutBlack leatherette clamshell, ox-blood satin lining

CompanionsNoneDigital PDF of the English translation

LimitationOpen editionLimited edition, single print run

AvailabilityCOMING SOONCOMING SOON

Codex Edition

Format: 462 pages, 7 x 10 in
Language: English, after Montague Summers, 1928
Paper: White 90 gsm wood-free
Binding: Black cloth over 3 mm boards, Smyth-sewn, rounded spine
Foil: Gold on front board and spine, Dominican cross
Case: Red cloth slipcase with silkscreened woodcut
Limitation: Open edition
Availability: COMING SOON

Artefact Edition

Format: 278 pages, 7 x 10 in
Language: Latin, after the 1669 Lyon printing
Paper: Fedrigoni Arena Ivory 120 gsm, deckled edges
Binding: Black leatherette over 3 mm boards, five raised bands
Foil: Blind-debossed spine with papal keys; ox-blood cross on front board
Case: Black leatherette clamshell, ox-blood satin lining
Companions: Digital PDF of the English translation
Limitation: Limited edition, single print run
Availability: COMING SOON

The same text and illustrations in both editions. The difference is the binding, format and limitation.

Questions

What is the difference between the two editions?

The Codex is the English translation after Montague Summers. The Artefact is a newly typeset reconstruction of the Latin, modelled on the 1669 Lyon printing, and ships with a digital PDF of the English translation so the two can be read alongside each other.

When will the Malleus Maleficarum be available?

Both editions are in production. Sign up to our newsletter to be notified the moment they go on sale.

Shipping & delivery

North American orders ship from our US warehouse in Michigan; European orders from our German warehouse. Standard delivery takes 5 to 14 business days, tracked. Tax is included; shipping is calculated at checkout.

Returns

We offer a 14-day return policy for unopened items in original packaging. Please contact us before returning any item.