November 7, 2012

Smith&Press Completes Latin to English Translation of the Nuremberg Chronicle

Boston, MA - November, 2012. Smith&Press completes the only known Latin to English Translation of the Nuremberg Chronicle with a positive review from ALA Choice Magazine.

After years in the making, Smith&Press has completed the highly anticipated release of the final Volumes of the only known English Translation of the Latin Edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle or (Liber Chronicarum).  The original intentions of Hartmann Schedel were to amaze his audience with large format illustrations integrated with text.  Smith&Press intends to provide the reader as close an experience as possible to Schedel’s original vision.  This fully illustrated large format Translation is over 16 inches tall and provides the original pages of the Chronicle accompanied on the adjacent page by the translated text and notes.  The notes clarify linguistic nuances and identify people and places of interest.  Also included is an extensive account of the sources Hartmann Schedel used to compile the Chronicle as well as a detailed index.  All volumes are hand bound hard cover cloth.
The Translation also has an optional 5th Volume which is Smith&Press’s Reference Edition Facsimile.  The Reference Edition Facsimile was originally produced to be the companion Volume to the Liber Chronicarum Translation Series.  Unlike the Translation Volumes, it is the only way to view the book in contiguous form.  On the shelf, the Reference Edition Facsimile matches the Translation Volumes and appears as a complete set.  The Translation Series was reviewed by ALA Choice Magazine in their February 2012 Issue.  Here is an excerpt from that review:

The overall layout is designed to place the translation on a page facing the original Latin text.  In the case of double-spreads, the full spread is provided first, followed by the individual pages reproduced once again with facing translations. All the pages are reduced about 8 percent from the original, with excellent image
quality. The translation is generally accurate and readable, and the translator, Michael Zellmann-Roher, has done the scholarly community a great service, for the Chronicle's Latin text is punctuated and spelled idiosyncratically and
encumbered with a multitude of abbreviations. Very useful are the numerous notes provided by the translator and text editor, identifying textual sources, correcting misprints, and elucidating content. The Chronicle is divided into seven
"Ages" or sections, and one somewhat startling feature of this publication is that these "Ages" are not always presented consecutively. Volume 1 includes Ages One, Two, Three, and Seven; volume 2 contains Ages Four and Five. Volume 3, to be published in 2012, will contain Age Six--by far the largest section of the work. Division of the book in this way seems aimed at providing a manageable and consistent size to a monumental set of books.
Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. --J. H. Kaimowitz, Trinity College (CT)

**Reprinted with permissions from ALA Choice Magazine**

This 4 Volume Translation Series is a limited edition of 220 copies and sells for $1200.00 USD.  The 4 Volume Translation Series with the Companion Reference Edition Facsimile sells for $1569.00 USD.  

Smith&Press plans to produce at least 5 more translations in 2012.  The next scheduled release is the facsimile and translation of Philippo Finella's De Quatuor Signis - a 17th Century astrological work.  Translation and Editorial work is complete and it is now in final layout preparation.  It is expected to become available in November, 2012.

Smith&Press is a small independent publisher specializing in early printed book translations and facsimiles. The goal is to make available to the general public, books and materials that are: 1) difficult to gain access to because they are rare, 2) prohibitive in price, and 3) written in Latin or other early languages of the time period with no available translation.  Smith&Press is also working on a digital library project which will be an annual subscription based model formulated to be cost effective for individuals and institutions alike.   The idea is to have this be available to students as well as enthusiasts that don’t have the means to purchase antiquarian books.  Smith&Press will only make small print runs to finance the expense of producing the volumes. 

For more information on Smith&Press and their Liber Chronicarum Translation Series, as well as any of their other offerings, please visit www.smithandpress.com.

Contact:
Smith&Press
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