This volume provides editions of the paratexts to late medieval and early modern editions and translations written by five humanist scholars of Bohemian extraction working around the year 1500. The edited paratexts are preceded by an introduction by Lucie Storchová who lays out the historical context of humanism in the Czech lands, where the Bohemian Ultraquist majority was hostile to classical learning. This meant that centers of mostly Catholic humanist learning were limited to Hasištejn Castle in northwest Bohemia and the court of the bishop of Olomouc in Moravia; other humanists had to study and then find employment outside of the Czech Lands, especially at the University of Leipzig. Storchová argues that the Bohemian reception of humanism was nevertheless more varied than is usually accepted. She proceeds to introduce the work of the four main humanists found in the volume. First are two Leipzig humanists, Paulus Niavus and Johannes Honorius, who both created teaching editions for their students intended to model good Latin style and morality. Both scholars thus present a similar selection of texts, background, and oeuvre. Next is Johannes Dubravius, who was based at the episcopal court of Olomouc and later became its bishop. Dubravius is represented by his commentary to Martianus Capella's De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii. This work displays much classical learning and humanist self-assertion but is not intended for use by students. Last is Řehoř Hrubý of Jelení, the only one of the four to write in the vernacular, and thus an author with a far smaller audience: his work was mainly meant to educate the Prague city council and, after 1510, he only had his translations circulated in manuscript. Using the Czech vernacular, Hrubý naturally differs from the others in not seeking to promote a learned Latin style. In other respects, however, all four authors can be shown to have similarly emphasized portraying themselves as learned, humanist personalities, engaging with Italian humanists, and valuing Greek education.
The modern editions of the paratexts of each author are preceded by a brief biography, another brief description of their oeuvre, an extensive bibliography, and lastly an editorial note on how the paratexts have been edited. Each paratext is then further preceded by a brief summary of its contents in English; most also feature notes, and all include a further bibliography with references to secondary texts that discuss the work in question. The editions themselves have been undertaken without substantial changes from the original printed or manuscript texts. An odd choice of the volume is that the work of a second Czech-language author, Václav Písecký, is featured in the middle of the section of Hrubý's paratexts. Písecký is only briefly mentioned in the introduction as having been the tutor to Hrubý's son, but he gets a full introduction immediately after Hrubý's own introduction at the beginning of the section. Despite Písecký's association with Hrubý and having completed the translation at his behest, it would seem more logical to have given him a very short section in his own right.
The edition of these texts is undoubtedly an important contribution to our understanding of humanism in a Bohemian context around 1500. These humanists were mostly engaged in presenting the texts of others, meaning that these paratexts are where their self-presentation and ideology are most clearly visible. It is thus important that modern scholars working in the field can easily access them in a modern edition. In some cases, this volume offers the only information in English on a particular text, meaning that it greatly increases the availability and accessibility of these Czech authors to those without any Czech. The presentation of the work of Hrubý, however, is somewhat at odds with such a goal. While Hrubý's Czech texts are preceded by short English summaries, many readers of this volume are unlikely be able to read the early modern Czech-language texts themselves. It would have been more profitable to provide full translations of all Czech-language material in addition to the original texts. Nevertheless, even the summaries of Hrubý's work go a long way toward making him more accessible to a larger audience, and this is a minor complaint for a volume that should increase scholarly knowledge of and engagement with the unique Czech humanist tradition.
