8. The Discoverie of Witchcraft
Another prized tome from Peter Harrington Rare Books, the largest antiquarian book dealer in Europe, is this 16th-century first edition of the most important work on witchcraft in English,The Discoverie of Witchcraft, written by Scot Reginald (d. 1599). Scot, a Kentish engineer and surveyor in Elizabethian England, didn’t believe that witchcraft was real and strove to prove that all of the witches executed were innocent.
In this book, he aims to demystify witchcraft by explaining how tricks and illusions were performed. He also traces the sociological origins of witch accusations, describing those who confessed to being witches as either deluded or the victims of torture. Scot rejects the evidence of previous writers on witchcraft such as Bodin, and denies that there is a biblical sanction for the execution of witches. This fundamental text on witchcraft was known to and often criticized by other renowned writers of the time and in the following centuries. Scot’s skepticism and process of deducing the truth amid obscurity are echoed today in the writings of modern magicians and scientists such as James Randi, Richard Dawkins, and others. The price of this rare book is $160,000. Along the lines of witches, a first edition, hardcover copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone will also be for sale, by B & B Rare Books, for $225,000.
