9 Curses for Book Thieves from the Middle Ages and Later

Threatening a book with the gallows for being stolen may seem extreme, but it is just one example from a long and venerable tradition of book curses. Before the invention of movable typesetting in the West, the cost of a single book could be enormous.

As medievalist Eric Kwakkel explained in 2015, stealing a book back then was akin to stealing someone's car today. Now we have car alarms; back then there were chains, chests... and curses. The heyday of the book curse (not to be confused with cursed books) was in the Middle Ages in Europe, and it was often embellished with Dante-esque infernal torments.

The earliest curses of this kind date back to the 7th century BC. They appear in Latin, local European languages, Arabic, Greek and many others. And in some cases they persisted until the age of printing, gradually disappearing as books became cheaper. Here are nine that capture the flavor of this strange tradition.

1. "Fry in a Pan"
The Arnstein Bible in the British Library, written in Germany around 1172, has a particularly vivid torture for book thieves: "If anyone steals it: let him die, let him be roasted in a frying pan, let the falling sickness [i.e. epilepsy] and fire attack him, and let him be turned [on the crushing wheel] and hanged. Amen."

2. "A Worse End"
A 15th-century French curse by Marc Drogin in his book Anathema! A 15th-century French curse by Marc Drogin in his book Medieval Scribes and the History of Book Curses has a familiar "House That Jack Built" type structure:
"Whoever steals this book
He will be hanged on a gallows in Paris,
And if he doesn't hang, he'll drown,
And if he doesn't drown, he'll fry,
And if he does not blush, a worse fate will befall him."

3. "The Most Holy Martyr Will Be the Accuser"
In her book The Medieval Book, Barbara A. Shailor records a curse from Northeastern France found in the 12th century Historia scholastica: "Peter, the least important of all the monks, gave this book to St. Quentin, the most blessed martyr. If anyone should steal it, let him know that on the Day of Judgment, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, the most holy martyr himself will be the accuser against him."

4. "Eyes Out"
According to Medievalists.net, Drogin also recorded this 13th-century curse from a manuscript in the Vatican Library. He climbs quickly.
"The finished book before you lies;
This humble scribe does not criticize.
Whoever takes this book
Let him never look at Jesus.
Whoever steals this book
Let him be put to death as a cursed man.
Whoever tries to steal this book
Take out your eyes, take out your eyes!"

5. "Damned and Forever Damned"
An 11th-century book curse belonging to a church in Italy, spotted by Kwakkel, offers potential thieves a chance to make amends: "Whoever takes, steals or badly removes this book from the Church of St. Caecilia, let him be damned and cursed forever, unless he returns it or atones for his deed."

6. "You Deserve This Pain"
As Drogin records, this book was written in a mixture of Latin and German.
"If you try to steal this book,
You will be hung by the throat.
And the ravens will gather
To find your eyes and pull them out.
And while you're screaming "oh, oh, oh, oh!
Remember, you deserved this pain."

7. "Cursed by the Mouth of God"
This 18th-century curse from a manuscript in the Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem is written in Arabic: "It is the property of the monastery of the Syrians in Jerusalem. Whoever steals it or removes it from its endowment will be cursed from the mouth of God! God (may He be exalted) will be angry with him! Amen."

8. "I wish him damnation"
A 17th-century manuscript cookbook, now in the New York Academy of Medicine, has the following inscription: "I wish a curse on those who stole Jean Gembel's book from him."

9. "May the gallows be your end"
The ownership inscription on a 1632 book printed in London through the Rochester Institute of Technology contains a familiar motif:
"Do not steal this book, my honest friend
Because you're afraid the gallows will be the end
Because when you die, God will say
Where is the book you stole?"

BONUS: Too Good to be True Book Curse

One of the most elaborate book curses found on the internet reads as follows: "Whoever steals a book from this library, may it turn into a snake in his hand and tear him apart. Paralyze him and blind all his limbs. Let him writhe in agony, cry aloud for mercy, and let him suffer until he perishes. Let the bookworms gnaw his entrails as a symbol of the Worm that does not die, and when he finally goes to his final Punishment, let the Flames of Hell consume him forever."

Thanks for reading.