RICK: Hey, how can I help you?
JIM: Hi.
I have a book for you to look at today.
RICK: OK.
JIM: "On the Tryal of Witches."
RICK: "On the Tryal of Witches?"
JIM: Printed in London in 1716.
RICK: Oh, that's great.
JIM: The two ladies that were accused here actually
never confessed, but they were summarily hung.
RICK: All this back then was crazy, just the way
it was proved you're a witch.
They would keep on stacking bricks on your chest
until you confessed.
And then, if you didn't confess, you just died.
[LAUGHING]
JIM: I got this book from a friend of mine that
decided he wanted to stop collecting books,
so he offered it to me.
The leather covers were essentially about to fall off.
I wanted to re-bind it so someone could read the book
and enjoy it.
If we're able to make a deal today,
I'd like to be able to take the money
and put it towards a college fund
that my wife and I have set up for our twins.
RICK: This is about--?
JIM: About a witch trial in 1662 that
later formed the basis of the Salem witch trials
in the 1690s.
RICK: "A Tryal of Witches at the Assizes?"
JIM: Held at Bury St. Edmonds in Suffolk, England.
RICK: That's absolutely great.
JIM: Essentially what you have here
is a transcript of the trial that was held at that time.
So there's a lot of interesting notes
about the things that the two ladies that were the witches--
supposed witches-- were accused of.
And it's the children that they were accused of bewitching,
it's basically their testimony.
Do you know if this is a first edition or a second edition?
JIM: This actually is a second edition.
The first edition was printed in 1682.
This is the stated second edition from 1716.
RICK: OK.
Hysteria around witchcraft has been
around since the dawn of time.
And in the 1500s and 1600s in Europe,
they had over 50,000 witches executed.
It wasn't until the Enlightenment
period they basically began to calm
down on the whole witch thing.
I like the binding on it.
It looks pretty cool.
I had it re-bound.
When I originally got it, it was in a little bit of rough shape
on the outside, but everything on the text block and inside
was in remarkable condition.
RICK: OK.
So how much were you looking to get out of it?
I'm asking $2,500 for the book.
OK.
I have no idea if that's a good price or not.
Do you mind if I have someone look at it?
JIM: Absolutely. RICK: OK.
JIM: Would love to.
She knows everything there is to know about them.
JIM: OK.
RICK: Give me a few minutes.
I'll get her down here.
I'll have her take a look at it, and we'll go from there.
Sounds good. Thank you.
RICK: OK, be right back.
JIM: Thank you.
I'm excited to have an expert come in
and take a look at the book.
I look forward to hearing her opinion.
RICK: A book on witches.
REBECCA ROMNEY: Ooh.
Think about it-- if I lived in the 17th century,
I would have been called a witch, unquestionably.
She gets called something close to that now.
REBECCA ROMNEY: Stop it.
Would you like this evaluation or--
RICK: Yes, I would.
All right.
RICK: And don't cast a spell on me.
REBECCA ROMNEY: All right.
So "The Tryal of Witches."
This trial right here was a landmark case
because Cotton Mather used this as the authority to say,
we will use spectral evidence in the Salem witch trials.
RICK: OK.
REBECCA ROMNEY: Spectral evidence is essentially dreams.
The people who were being tortured by the witch,
they can point to that person and say, oh, that was
the person I saw in the dream.
That can be used as evidence in a court of law.
JIM: Crazy.
Oh, yeah, because I dream some really weird stuff.
Don't we all, though?
JIM: Yeah.
REBECCA ROMNEY: And this was the precedent.
This book is right up my alley.
I love learning about these primary source
historical records that tell us how people thought they
had evidence for witchcraft, whether a woman was
actually a witch.
RICK: So what do you think it's worth?
REBECCA ROMNEY: This is in OK shape.
So you have the rebind, which is not the end of the world.
And then of course you have the 1716
imprint here, which tells me, too,
this is not the first edition.
This was printed after the Salem witch trials, right?
So that first edition is going to be more desirable because we
know that's the edition that influenced
the Salem witch trials.
Correct.
REBECCA ROMNEY: So as far as value goes,
I would place this particular copy around $1,500 to $1,600.
RICK: OK. REBECCA ROMNEY: OK?
- OK. - Thanks.
You're the best.
- You're welcome. - Pleasure.
Nice meeting you.
RICK: I would never call you a witch.
Or the other thing?
Have a nice day?
Love you.
[LAUGHTER]
I think Rick could find collectors for this.
This is a book that should intrigue people,
so I think that it could excite the right buyer.
RICK: So what do you want now?
$1,250.
I'll give you $900 for it.
How about $1,100?
RICK: I'll do $1,000.
JIM: How about $1,050?
We'll split the difference there.
RICK: I will give you $1,000.
It just doesn't make sense to pay any more.
It doesn't.
JIM: Got you.
All right, I'll do $1,000.
RICK: Sweet.
I will meet you right over there.
We'll do some paperwork, and I'll get you paid.
All right, sounds good. Thank you.
Well, certainly I wanted to be able to sell the book
at the $2,500, but I do understand
where the market is on that, and so I'm fine with that.