Pseudomonarchia Dæmonium
Kingdom of the Spirits
translated, with a commentary by Paul Summers Young
In 1577, Johann Weyer appended a short work titled Pseudomonarchia Daemonum to his treatise on the falsehoods of witchcraft and the magical arts, De Praestigiis Daemonum. Thanks in very large part to Reginald Scot’s inclusion of a translation in his own Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), this short satirical play upon the Book of Spirits has attained an afterlife Weyer could not have foreseen.
Weyer’s text has cast a long shadow among occultists, but it is also an entertaining work of fantasy in its own right. His world-building and characterisation of the various spirits are a delight.
About the Black Letter Press edition
This edition presents the original Latin text with a new Modern English translation by Paul Summers Young, featuring wide-ranging notes contextualising the work. The appendix includes Scot’s translation, and a new translation of the French Livre des Esperitz, as representative of the genre Weyer drew upon for inspiration.
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Table of Contents
Introduction by Paul Summers Young
PSEUDOMONARCHIA DÆMONIUM
Appendix I
Citatio Prædicorum Spirituum:
The Summoning of Divinatory Spirits
Appendix 2
Livre des Esperitz:
The Book of Spirits
Appendix 3
Reginald Scot’s translation,
from The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584)
Appendix 4
Notes and Commentary
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Hardcover Edition
229 pages. Hardcover bound in plum Cialux cloth, with gilding to the front cover. 120g black endpapers. Printed on 115g wood-free, age-resistant Cream paper. Sewn book block, black ribbon bookmark and black headbands.
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Press, reviews, endorsements
Book Review by Foolish Fish - watch on YouTube here
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About the Author
The late Johann Weyer (1515 – 1588), was a Dutch physician who was among the first to publish a thorough treatise against the trials and persecution of people accused of witchcraft. His most influential work is De Praestigiis Daemonum et Incantationibus ac Venificiis ('On the Illusions of the Demons and on Spells and Poisons'; 1563).
