The scariest of books crept out of the Marriott Library’s rare books collection for a night of book talk. On Oct. 21, the University of Utah’s rare books librarians displayed and discussed the spookiest books from their collection dating back to the ancient world. The event was in collaboration with Bookish SLC, a social reading community, bringing people together for dedicated reading time.
Walking into the Gould auditorium, leather jackets and witch hats scattered the audience, dressed for the bewitching occasion. In the front of the room was the table of featured books for the night. The books range from medical publications, ghostly photography and firsthand accounts of exorcisms.
Not books from your local Barnes & Noble
Rare Books Assistant Curator Theadora Soter took the floor to get the night started. “The point is that even today, our words have power,” she said. “Every text we send, every document we sign, every law we write.”
The first book of the night was created around 1250 BCE for a scribe, full of spells to help the dead navigate the underworld safely and achieve eternal life. “Through ‘The Book of the Dead,’ the Egyptian people gave meaning to both life and what came after, and that the impulse to use the written word to understand the unseen, doesn’t fade with time,” Soter said.
The spooky-themed night wouldn’t have been complete without a book about witchcraft, and that’s where Francesco Guazzo’s 1608 witchcraft book comes in. Guazzo was a priest but also a firm believer in witchcraft. “Thousands of people across Europe were accused of witchcraft, and those who weren’t accused were fascinated by them,” Soter said. This book was an attempt to put all he knew about witchcraft out, so it is divided into three parts. The first explains what magic is and how it works, the second talks about witchcraft and the third teaches how to perform exorcisms. The book wasn’t translated into English until 1929, which is the copy that the Marriott Library currently possesses.
Demons, witches and monsters
One of the most bizarre books of the night was from 1623, detailing the possession case of Denise de La Caille. It was recorded by a court clerk, who witnessed nearly five months of public and private exorcisms. Denise was treated by a Dominican priest, who diagnosed her case as extreme. “She couldn’t eat, was nearly blind. She experienced violent outburst hallucinations and supposedly even levitated,” Soter said. The priest claimed that Denise was possessed by more than 40 demons, which are listed in the book. On the last page of the book, there is also a signed agreement between the priest, the demons and Denise that the demons will stay away from her.
“The medieval world, the alchemists, the witches, the demons, all the things that we talked about today really take on this new fascination amongst people. Writers and artists started to play with that attention. One in particular was Mary Shelley, who wrote this book you may have heard of, ‘Frankenstein,'” Soter said. In early editions of Frankenstein, Shelley didn’t put her name in the byline. The copy from the U’s collection is one of the early editions with her name accredited.
A scary good night
Following the scary storytelling of these books, groups were invited up to get a closer look at the books and discuss with the librarians. While other groups went up, the rest of the audience participated in silent reading time, with their own books, in true Bookish SLC fashion. The night was truly charming and haunting at the same time.
