Happy Halloween 🎃

October 31, 2025

Happy Halloween! Stop by the Styberg Library to grab some candy and check out some of our spooky holdings.  

Daemoniaci cum locis infestis et terriculamentis nocturnis. The title of this volume translates from the Latin to “Demoniacs with haunted places and night terrors. Published in 1604 and written by theologian Peter Thyraeus, this volume is a collection of three books that detail types of possession. Thyraeus has been considered the first to look scientifically at possession and exorcism. Find it in our catalog here.
Thesaurus exorcismorum atque conjurationum terribilium. This instructional thesaurus was published in 1608, and is a collection of writings by the most famous exorcists of its time. Our copy is a first edition, though it was later reprinted again as an official exorcism manual. The third image shows some of the rite prayers. Find it in our catalog here.

The Case for Spirit Photography by Arthur Conan Doyle. Yup, that, Arthur Conan Doyle – author of the Sherlock Holmes books. When he wasn’t writing tales of who would become the world’s most famous detective, Doyle was actually a very active Spiritualist. In this work, Doyle is a personal account of his own experiences in seances and with spirit photography. There are many examples to be found within its pages, as well. Find it in our catalog here.

Compendium Maleficarum. This 1929 fine press edition of Francesco Maria Guazzo’s 17th century witch-hunting manual. Guazzo was an Italian priest who was well regarded in demonology and witch-hunting circles. See here some of the examples of the woodcuts found within the manual’s pages. The familiars are pretty cute, even if they may be doing dastardly deeds! Find it in our catalog here.

The Secrets of the Invisible World Disclos’d. Here is our rebound edition of Daniel Defoe’s history of apparitions. Originally published in 1729 under a pseudonym, this volume discusses all sorts of different spiritual entities: ghosts, yes – but also angels and demons. Defoe is more known for his novels, like Robinson Crusoe, but he did write several works on the supernatural as well. Find it in our catalog here.