Bibliography of English Translations From Medieval Sources by Clarissa P. Farrar and Austin P. Evans (review)

BOOK REVIEWS99 difficult to get an apt caption, especially in epistles; but if judiciously chosen, captions are a great aid in reading ancient works. The first volume of Ancient Christian Writers has set a high standard. We are sure all, laity as well as Religious and clergy, will welcome it. All can read it with pleasure and profit. Dominic J. Unger, O.F.M. Cap. Capuchin College, Washington, D.C. Bibliography of English Translations From Medieval Sources. Number XXXIX of the Records of Civilization Sources and Studies, Austin P. Evans, Editor. By Clarissa P. Farrar and Austin P. Evans. New York: Columbia University Press, 1946. Pp. xii+534. $7.50. The present bibliography certainly obviates a need felt by many working in the field of Medieval studies. The arrangement follows the alphabetical order, each item being numbered for the sake of cross reference and backreference from a supplementary index at the end. Altogether 3,839 translations have been listed. The medieval sources taken into consideration in this Bibliography include every literary source composed "during the period from Constantine the Great to the year 1500 within an area roughly inclusive of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia." Hence translations from other languages than Latin have also found a place in this bibliography. On the other hand, the compilers have not adhered too rigorously to this rough delimitation of their field. And that with good reason, since their main aim was to provide students of European culture during the Middle Ages with a working tool. Translations of "official papers — documents as distinct from literary sources" —, have been mostly excluded from this bibliography, since they have been or will be published elsewhere. But, here again, the compilers using sound judgment have agreed to important exceptions: "While excluding translations of the great body of the Roman and Byzantine codes and of English law, we have included, on the basis of their interest for the general history of civilization, the translations of early Germanic law and the commercial codes, such as the Visigothic code, the laws of Oléron and Wisby, and the Consulate of the Sea." Besides the exceptions mentioned , it was the aim of the compilers to list every translation of more than a few pages and also their various editions in this bibliography. And the result? After a coursory perusal of this vast bibliography and occasional checking of the reliability of the information we cannot but pay our highest admiration for the sound work achieved by the compilers. Their work of fifteen years (the bibliography closes with the year 1942) will prove to be indispensable to medieval students. Many translations concerning the works of or about Franciscans are listed under the names of: Antonio da Padova, Roger Bacon, Bartholomaeus Anglicus, Benedict the Pole, Bernardino da Siena, Bonaventura, Catarina da Bologna, Clara of Assist, David von Augsburg, Francesco d'Assisi, Giovanni di Piano Carpini , (Grosseteste), Jacopone da Todi, Jordanus of Giano, Ramo Lull, William Ockham, Odorico da Pordenone, Luca Paccioli, John Peckham, FRANCISCAN STUDrES — 7a 100BOOK REVIEWS Willem van Ruysbroek, Salimbene, Thomas of Eccleston, and probably others which escaped our attention in surveying this wealth of information. Brief notes about the authenticity of certain works and of other details are quite often added. We recommend this bibliography to all our libraries. Philotheus Boehner, O.F.M. Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure, New York. The Capuchin Annual 1943-1946. Edited by Father Senan, O.F.M. Cap. Dublin, 2 Capel Street. Pp. 512, $2.50. This double number of the already famous annuals follows its fifteen predecessors in form and style. Its contents presents a great variety of essays and poems. Tales, stories, biographies, recollections, travelogues, history, music, song, art and folklore follow each other in stately procession, giving an idea of the rich Irish culture of the past and present. Not all contributions are of the same merit, but all are of a very good literary quality. A few of the prose and poems are in the Gaelic language; the rest is English. AU speak from the heart of the Irish nation. The volume is profusely illustrated with half-tones, art prints, color plates and very numerous fine and amusing silhouettes. Although advertisements cover...