Book Curses

Stumbled upon a website called Litera Scripta and found a set of Medieval book curses - for those who have been victims of people not returning borrowed books or worse, people whose collections have disappeared with malice, a few phrases on the book plate might convinced would be book robbers of not doing the crime. The first set of curses, concise and effective. Thys boke is one And God's curse another They that take the one God geve them the other. He who steals this book may he die the death may he be frizzled in a pan... Or one for the whole collection For him that Stealeth a Book from this Library, Let it change into a Serpent in his hand & rend him. Let him be struck with Palsy, & all his Members blasted. Let him languish in Pain crying aloud for Mercy,Let there be no Surcease to his Agony till he sink to Dissolution. Let Bookworms gnaw his Entrails in token of the Worm that dieth not, When at last he goeth to his final Punishment, Let the flames of hell consume him for ever & aye. They may be effective as a the curse found on the entrance of each pyramid, nearly all tombs of the Pharoahs were plundered. Personally, I think hiding your books would be a far better strategy. But it might give pause to any book robber contemplating pillage on ones books.