In the Room of the Circles: The Inquisition and Books of Magic in Early Modern Venice (Routledge Studies in Early Modern Religious Dissents and Radicalism)

This book investigates the circulation, regulation, and interpretation of magical texts, focusing on the Clavicula Salomonis (Key of Solomon), one of the most sought-after and feared books of the time. Drawing on inquisitorial records, trial proceedings, and archival sources, Federico Barbierato uncovers how these texts were read, copied, and exchanged, illuminating the blurred boundaries between religious orthodoxy, scientific inquiry, and the occult.

The Early Modern period was marked by a deep ambivalence toward books of magic, which were revered as sources of hidden knowledge yet condemned as dangerous and subversive. Nowhere was this tension more evident than in Venice, a city where inquisitorial censorship clashed with a vibrant book culture. At the heart of this volume lies a detailed exploration of the people who interacted with magical writings―monks, exorcists, book dealers, artisans, and even suspected heretics―revealing how these texts served multiple purposes, from spiritual protection to financial speculation. By examining how authorities sought to suppress, reinterpret, and sometimes co-opt magical knowledge, the book provides fresh insights into the dynamics of censorship, literacy, and power. Barbierato moves beyond the history of forbidden books to reconstruct a network of exchanges that shaped Early Modern attitudes toward magic and heterodox knowledge.

In the Room of the Circles will appeal to scholars and students of Early Modern history, book history, religious studies, and intellectual history, as well as readers interested in the history of censorship and the relationship between knowledge and power.

Federico Barbierato is a historian specializing in Early Modern history and historical anthropology. He teaches at the University of Verona and the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. His research explores the history of religious dissent, unbelief, and magical practices and cultures in Early Modern Europe, with a particular focus on the Republic of Venice. He has extensively studied the circulation of forbidden books, the dynamics of censorship, and the interactions between learned and popular beliefs. His work combines archival research with an anthropological approach, shedding light on the complex relationships between power, knowledge, and heterodoxy in Early Modern Europe.