Oct 31, 2025 RARE BOOKS VIRTUAL LECTURE — BOOKS TO DIE FOR

The Rare Books Department invites you to view its most recent virtual lecture:
 Books to Die for. 

This October has been a frighteningly busy month for the University of Utah’s Rare Books Department as we prepared for our spookiest event of the year, “BOO!ks to Die For,” held last Tuesday in the GHOULd Auditorium of the Marriott Library. The evening of frights was hosted in collaboration with Bookish SLC, a social reading group that gathers monthly to celebrate both community and the written word.

After some spine-tingling mingling and a sip (or two) of witch’s brew, our fearless audience settled in for a lecture exploring the enduring connection between the history of the book and the history of the occult. Together, we delved into some of the spookiest, scariest, and most haunted volumes from the Rare Books Collection. 

We started in Ancient Egypt and learned that there, inscription was not just a means of communication, but a ritual meant to be enacted. Take, for example, Papyrus of Ani. This book of the dead, inscribed with spells and charms, was believed to be instrumental in helping the Theban scribe, Ani, travel safely through the afterlife. 

Book of the Dead of Ani
Bilbao: CARTEM, 2019
PJ1555 A3 2019

From there, we journey to Early Modern Europe to examine another kind of spellbook: Francesco Guazzo’s Compendium Maleficarum (1608). This three-volume text first defines magic, then explores the magic of witches, and finally instructs readers on how to hunt and exorcise them.

Compendium Maleficarum
Francesco Guazzo (1570-1600)
London: John Rodker, 1929
BF1559 G813

After many more stops, we end our time together in modern-day Mexico where Ambar Past has written down the spells, charms, and hexes of modern-day Mayan women living in the highlands of Southern Mexico.

Portable Mayan Altar
Ámbar Past
San Cristobal de Las Casas: Taller Leñateros, 2007
PM4466 Z95 E5333 2007

As you can see, the story of magic and the book has traversed centuries, cultures, and time zones—ultimately leading to one hauntingly clear conclusion: there is no object more magical than the book.

We know not every ghost was able to join us last week for the book-ish fun, which is why we conjured up a recording of the full lecture just for you. We promise the high-res visuals and spooky soundtrack will make you feel like a phantom of the shadows, casting out all fears of missing out. 

So dim the lights and get ready to experience a fright like no other.…if you dare.

Contributed by Theadora Soter, Rare Books Assistant Curator

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