{"id":2883,"date":"2020-10-28T10:28:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T09:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/?p=2883"},"modified":"2020-10-31T22:47:16","modified_gmt":"2020-10-31T21:47:16","slug":"facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Definition of Facsimile: What is a Facsimile Edition?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A facsimile edition<\/strong> is the reproduction of a physical object, namely an ancient document. However, the generic name for the reproduction of other physical objects, such as statues, jewelry, or art is replica<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Manuscript<\/a>
Manuscript facsimile: Les Belles Heures du Duc de Berry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The replicated ancient document may come in different forms: codex<\/strong> (pl: codices<\/strong>. i.e. the book as we call it today), a scroll<\/strong>, a fragment<\/strong>, large map<\/strong>, etc.<\/p>\n

Ideally, and following the etymology of the word<\/strong>, a facsimile is as close as possible to the original object it was created to replicate.<\/p>\n

How can we possibly think that a digital image is \u201cmade alike\u201d to an illuminated manuscript?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Scroll<\/a>
Scroll facsimile: the Exultet Rolle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The word facsimile comes from the Latin words<\/strong> \u201cfac\u201d (make it, or made) and \u201csimile\u201d (similar, alike); therefore its original meaning is \u201cmade alike<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Today the word facsimile is used for high quality reproductions of illuminated manuscripts<\/strong>, all the way down to xerox copies of documents.<\/p>\n

The most misleading use of the word I\u2019ve recently heard is \u201cdigital facsimile<\/strong>\u201d: how can we possibly think that a digital image is \u201cmade alike\u201d to an illuminated manuscript?<\/p>\n

What Makes of a Copy a Good Facsimile?<\/h2>\n

We can only speak of a facsimile<\/strong> when it is modeled on a unique original<\/strong>, a unicum.<\/p>\n

\"Incunable<\/a>
Incunable facsimile: the Gutenberg Bible<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The reproduction of a previously duplicated original (identical copying is only feasible with printing) is called a reprint<\/strong>, even when the copy strives to be identical in form and image to the original.<\/p>\n

Of course, the boundaries are fluid<\/strong>, such as in the case of incunabula, which are enhanced artistically with individual ornamentation and imaginative pictorial decoration. We only need to recall the various exemplars of the Gutenberg Bible<\/strong>, all of which are regarded as unica<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

To produce a good facsimile<\/strong>, a publisher should employ all technologies and expertise needed to create a reproduction as close as possible to the original document in all aspects, including physical appearance.<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/a>
Map facsimile: the Cantino’s Map<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Classic Definition of Facsimile: Manfred Kramer<\/h2>\n

Dr. Manfred Kramer<\/strong>, a professor at the University of Graz (Austria) and formerly Director of Faksimile Verlag<\/strong>, wrote a famous definition:<\/p>\n

A facsimile is the technical-mechanical reproduction of a unique, effectively two-dimensional original, which eliminates any manual copying as much as possible, retains a maximum of the original\u2019s intrinsic and extrinsic criteria<\/strong>, uses all available technical means that guarantee the original\u2019s preservation and accessibility and thus satisfies scholarly and artistic interests. A facsimile must be as true to the original as possible for scholarship and bibliophilia<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Coffee Table Book Titled \u201cFacsimile of XYZ\u201d ? No Surprise!<\/h2>\n

As said, the word facsimile has a widespread and wide-ranging use today. You can find \u201cfacsimiles\u201d of all levels of quality<\/strong>, from printed pamphlets, to coffee table books, to incredibly expensive reproductions of illuminated manuscripts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Over time, publishers tried to differentiate high-quality facsimiles from less expensive editions creating definitions such as \u201cFine Art Facsimile Editions\u201d<\/strong> or \u201cMuseum Quality Facsimile Editions\u201d<\/strong> and even the awkward \u201cQuasi Originals\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no common, unique definition<\/strong> that identifies all quality facsimiles. We hope, in the future, to come up with a word, or a combination of words, to greater illuminate this niche publication field.<\/p>\n

What would you call a high-quality facsimile?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the invention of fax machines, the original meaning of the word facsimile was somewhat lost. However, allow us to shed a bit of light on the more specific meaning of widely-used word that gives name to a very special type of publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[16,108,12],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is a Facsimile? Definition of Facsimile Edition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read our definition of facsimile edition.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is a Facsimile? Definition of Facsimile Edition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read our definition of facsimile edition.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Facsimile Finder Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FacsimileFinder\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-28T09:28:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-31T21:47:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/comparing-facsimile-edition-featured.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"348\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Giovanni Scorcioni\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@FacsimileFinder\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@FacsimileFinder\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Giovanni Scorcioni\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Giovanni Scorcioni\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/c0bf201fa158de72dfdd27840bace731\"},\"headline\":\"Definition of Facsimile: What is a Facsimile Edition?\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-28T09:28:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-31T21:47:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/\"},\"wordCount\":581,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/comparing-facsimile-edition-featured.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Facsimiles\",\"Faksimile Verlag\",\"How it's Made\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Behind the Scenes\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/facsimile-definition-what-is-facsimile-edition\/\",\"name\":\"What is a Facsimile? 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