Corpus Librorum Emblematum: The Jesuit Series, Part 3

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

This title is the third in what promises to be a multi-volume set that
will encompass all extant books of emblems, works illustrated with
emblems, and books dealing with the theory and practice of emblematics
written by members of the Society of Jesus. (“The Society of Jesus was
founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola, a Basque nobleman and soldier,
who found God in all things.”) Also included are translations and
adaptations in all languages of Jesuit works by Catholics and
non-Catholics alike. Many of the 357 books are described here for the
first time, and all are written by authors whose last names (personal or
corporate) range from F to L. The presence of a few of these titles,
missing in standard bibliographies, results in part from the editors’
decision to include 20th-century works and nonillustrated editions of
earlier illustrated emblematic works.

Each entry follows a standard format, which includes author’s name
and dates, title of the book with (relevant bibliographic information),
language of the book, emblem structure and illustrations, layout,
illustration notes, artist, classification, bibliographic references
extant, library pressmarks (i.e., the libraries in which the title may
be found), and editorial remarks. Of course, there are scads of
illustrations.

Peter Daly, a professor emeritus of McGill University, is assisted by
G. Richard Dimler, himself a Jesuit and a research professor of Jesuit
emblem studies at Fordham University. Their meticulous work of
scholarship has already found a home in the collections of many
university libraries.