Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The First Illustrated Latin-English Encyclopedia Can Now Be Yours

Project Gutenberg has just released a public domain HTML version of the Orbis Pictus ("The Visible World, or a Nomenclature, and Pictures of All the Chief Things That Are in the World, and of Mens Employments Therein") by John Amos Comenius. Today we have the Kingfisher illustrated children's encyclopedias, but this "was for a century the most popular text-book in Europe," first published in 1658. This 1887 reprint includes black and white woodcut illustrations and facing Latin-English text. It was originally written for young Latin students.

The Gutenberg Project edition includes an appended clickable index.