The Damned Art: The History of Witchcraft and Demonology
Introduction
The Damned Art is an exhibition of books relating to the history of witchcraft and demonology, drawn mainly from the Ferguson collection.
John Ferguson (1837-1916), Regius Professor of Chemistry in the University of Glasgow from 1874-1915, was a keen book collector. In 1921, following his death, an important section of his private library, consisting of over 7000 books and some 300 manuscripts, was bought by the University. The greater part of the books in the Ferguson collection are on chemistry and alchemy but there are important smaller groups of books on witchcraft, magic, gypsies, astrology, Rosicrucians and Cabbalism.
The choice of books for this exhibition has been highly selective and those listed far from exhaust the witchcraft material collected by Ferguson. The exhibition is divided into five sections dealing with witchcraft and demonology in: Germany, Switzerland and the Low Countries; Italy and France; England; Scotland; and finally North America. The arrangement of books within each section is roughly chronological. The present exhibition is based on an earlier exhibition mounted in the Hunterian Museum, January - March, 1966.
View books on Witchcraft and Demonology in:
To view a selection of images from the books in the exhibition, try our Damned Art Flickr set: