Vatican Secret Archives [Hardcover]

Vdh Books (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

The Vatican Secret Archives have fuelled people's imagination for centuries. This is largely due to its incomparable long and interesting history. Today, the entire documentation kept in the Vatican Secret Archives occupies 85 kilometres of bookshelves and is constantly growing. It covers a continued chronological space of over 800 years. Moreover, its unique location, the majestic documentary treasures and the limited access contribute to this aura of mystery. The shroud of secrecy that has always surrounded this important cultural institution of the Holy See, due to the allusions to inaccessible secrets, as well as to the publicity it has always enjoyed in literature and in the media, makes this publication even more attractive.

And now, for the first time, a publisher was allowed to walk around this wonderful location without any restrictions. The result is a magnificent book with impressive and atmospheric illustrations. Take an unforgettable walk past the most exceptional places and documents in these secret archives, including reading rooms that are only open to academia, as well as rooms that remain closed to the public, some of which are decorated with gorgeous 16th and 17th century frescos, while others accommodate several thousands of documents. You will be able to discover more than 100 of these documents in this book. Specialists of the Vatican Secret Archives have selected these documents and provided each one with a precise explanation. It is a careful selection of documents that show the richness of the Vatican Archives' contents. A highly appealing, unique and attractive book, for a large audience as well as for the academic!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Innovative Logistics (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9088810079
• ISBN-13: 978-9088810077
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #854,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN AMAZING TREASURE, April 29, 2010

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vatican Secret Archives (Hardcover)

What a treasure! Although many have taken tours of the Vatican none have been admitted to the Secret Archives. In fact, on a recent tour we were told that no one was allowed access to this very private place holding documents dating back to the 8th century, and where areas are decorated with breathtakingly beautiful 16th and 17th century frescoes. Even Dan Brown was not allowed access.

However, according to THE VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVES there are some public rooms open to academics. That aside, now for the first time in an amazing volume the world is privy to over 100 documents housed in this hitherto unavailable collection. All are beautifully photographed, here to study, peruse to our heart's content. The double page photos of the frescoes are eye popping while pictures of the reading rooms, laboratories, galleries, and the famed Tower Of Winds are revelatory.

The documents, which were chosen by a special commission, begin with "Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum" from the end of the 8th century. We continue through correspondence between Michelangelo and Paul III, see a letter written by Saint Teresa of Avila, and correspondence from Queen Elizabeth penned in 1579. We read documents from the heresy trial against Galileo, letters from Pius XI to Hitler, as well as a great deal more. In addition to stunning photography the documents are explicated by commentary from Vatican scholars.

This volume is so rich with history that it cannot be absorbed in a single sitting. THE VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVES is a one-of-a-kind volume, standing alone in its presentation of previously unpublished documents accompanied by edifying comments. It is a book to treasure, to return to again and again.

My highest recommendation.

- Gail Cooke

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding photography and authoritative essays on famed Vatican archives, May 11, 2010

By 

Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vatican Secret Archives (Hardcover)

In a foreword, Cardinal Farina who oversees the famed Vatican archives writes that the presentation of the documents in this book "create[s] a harmonious relation between knowledge and curiosity, on the one hand helping to discover the unknown and the surprise of a portrayed representation and on the other its luminosity and beauty." This is achieved by expert photographs of the varied documents going back over centuries against a black background. Each document sharply photographed against such a background stands out so that it seems almost tactile and its details of calligraphy, marginalia, decoration, seals, and when present, its color are readily gleaned. Lengthy annotations to each relate the background of its composition, its historical or religious significance often including quotes, and its material (e. g., vellum).

"An illustrated publication on the Vatican Secret Archives is not a novelty," the Cardinal also writes. Nonetheless, this publication stands out because of its incomparable photography emphasizing the uniqueness of each document and its authoritative, well-focused annotations. Readers coming new to the field of historical manuscripts and documents will understand the enthusiasm among collectors for not only their historical significance, but also their unique aesthetic qualities. Collectors of similar documents available through dealers or auctions can pore through the photographs for familiarity with touches such as calligraphic flourishes or stamps that increase the desirability of a document.

Front matter explains that the term "secret" for the Papal archives is related to the Latin derivation for "secretary" as someone in a position of trust often making up documents for a Pope, as with "secretarial documents". Though translated "secret" in English, the term in this sense implies "personal" or "private." While regarded as "private archives of the pope," most are made available to scholars with a good reason for seeing particular ones. Every year about 1,500 scholars do study documents in a reading room or internal library. The archives now have a laboratory for photography and digital reproduction, computer databases and operations, and administrative services connected to them.

This publication on the Vatican Secret Archives is an ideal gift for any book or ephemera lover. An art and coffee-table book offering moments of visual treats when opened to any page, it is also a work to be referred to again and again by the serious collector and the scholar for the knowledge to be gained.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning photography & a historical feast, May 9, 2010

By 

Pam S. (RI) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vatican Secret Archives (Hardcover)

The photography in this coffee table book is visually stunning. There are some obscure "arty" shots but on the whole, I would have purchased it for the photos alone. The text is very interesting and historically riviting. There are a few translation problems but this is a must have for history buffs. The sections on Henry VIII and the Reformation alone are worth the price. To see the actual documents is a gift. A treasure of a book.