Discover the most beautiful facsimile editions: the books you always wanted, now at hand. Explore new editions and rediscover old ones you thought lost forever.
The Liber Abaci introduced to the Western world the numerals we use today, along with the sequence that led to the Golden Ratio, which lies at the heart of some of the greatest works of art ever created. Explore how mathematics traveled from India to Italy and became the universal language of beauty.
At the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025, I explored new facsimile projects celebrating both Western and non-Western manuscripts. From groundbreaking editions to inspiring encounters with global publishers, it was a powerful reminder of how diverse traditions continue to shape the art of the book.
What do the Holy Trinity, the Desert Fathers, and a terrified man fleeing from a giant snail have in common? Surprisingly, they are all masterfully depicted within the curious yet captivating manuscript known as the Rothschild Canticles. But what connects this peculiar imagery, along with several other profane illustrations found in the margins, to the sacred themes of the text and its full-page theological illuminations? Continue reading, and join us in unraveling the mystery.
Futurism was an artistic movement centered in Italy that emphasized the dynamism, speed, energy, and power of the machine, and the vitality, change, and restlessness of modern life.
It is a truism of medieval art history that virtually all Ottonian art betrays the influence of Carolingian art, and this is demonstrated above all in the art of manuscript illumination. The Gero Codex is a remarkable witness to how an Ottonian painter received the Carolingian heritage so valued by the painters of his age.
These twelve meticulously preserved notebooks span nearly three decades of Leonardo’s life, offering a rare glimpse into the genius’s relentless curiosity and boundless creativity. From intricate sketches of flying machines to profound treatises on optics and anatomy, each page brims with the timeless wisdom of a visionary ahead of his time. A surprise awaits you at the end of this article!
A book about monstrous creatures, an herbal with hundreds of illustrations of medicinal plants and animals, two codices by Leonardo da Vinci that got lost for 150 years: the Frankfurt Book Fair granted me the privilege to get a preview of new amazing facsimiles. Read and choose your favorite!
We want to thank everyone who has followed our journey into the world of The Divine Comedy, taking a closer look at George Cochrane’s artistic process in completing ‘La Divina Commedia – The New Manuscript’
George wanted to create a new edition that recalled many of the things that were visible in the time of Dante: every move the artist made was a careful choice.
“That connection of handwriting, telling a story in sequence, where you use words and pictures to tell a story, is a very strong connection.”