SCRIPTORIUM

Scriptorium is an association for non-profit publishing of scientific literature. Scriptorium was established in 1996 as a voluntary association. Its aim is to publish particularly scientific historical literature, accompanied by precise graphical illustration and sold for reasonable prices.
Publishing is focused on two areas. The first area is the publishing of books for other non-profit subjects, which do not have publishing of books as their primary activity (Universities, museums, archives, etc.). Scriptorium allows these institutions to publish books for more reasonable prices, than commercial publishers and still, in decent form. Scriptorium has been regularly providing books for institutions such as the Prague City Archives, the National Archives, the Czech Academy of Sciences, the National Museum or the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University.
The second area of our work is independent publishing from our own sources (or on the basis of grants or sponsorships). Scriptorium has published over 160 books to this date (25th October, 2012). The update list of our publications can be found on our website. Except individual publications and edition series described below, Scriptorium is publishing Festschriften for significant characters from various historical and relative subjects (for example Ivan Hlaváèek, Zdeòka Hledíková or Václav Ledvinka). Other prints include exhibition catalogues (in cooperation with the Prague City Archives, the Prague City Museum, the National Gallery and others, Scriptorium has printed 10 volumes since 1997).
Most publications supplied by Scriptorium can be bought in Kosmas bookshops or ordered in the
e-shop (www.kosmas.cz), please direct your orders there. Should you want to contact the Scriptorium association, please direct to (in English or German) e-mail: scriptorium@centrum.cz.
If you would like to meet us in person, please contact our agent Tomáš Rataj, tel. +420 734 503 377. Our postal and residential address is: Scriptorium, Pražská 397, Dolní Bøežany, 252 41, Czech Republic.

 

Edition series

 

MANU PROPRIA

“Manu propria” is Latin for “with one’s own hand” – this note has been used by the scribes, dignitaries and scholars of the Middle Ages to verify the authenticity of their texts. An abbreviation has developed and soon, the scribes became adding M.P. after their signature.

Small format edition series Manu Propria is designated to the publishing of books with personal character, so called ego-documents. Mostly these include memoirs, diaries or correspondence related to Bohemian Lands in relation to their origin or the place of deposit. The time horizon of these documents is not limited, even though, the early modern period and the 19th century is prevalent. Books in other languages are also published (mostly German), but always in the form of simultaneous editions of the original and the Czech translation. The books include essays and explanatory footnotes as well.

The edition series Manu Propria was made to answer the notable trend that has been spreading through the historical science during the last decades, which is the interest in subjectivity, the view of history through the eyes of individuals. The human, considered an active subject, is “suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun” (M. Weber), but still, he is capable of autonomous actions and he is not reducible to a passive executor of the “great” history. 

Published so far:

Alžbìta Lidmila z Lisova – Family Memoirs 

Family memoir of a Czech noblewoman from 1657 – 1677 and displays from her cookbook as well as medical and veterinary recipes.

Kryštof Václav z Nostic – A Diary from the Travel to the Netherlands in 1705, a parallel Czech-German Edition

This diary describes the journey from Niwnice in Silesia to the Netherlands and back, during which Kryštof Václav visited e.g. Berlin, Hamburg or Hannover. This document describes a large amount of cities, villages, constructions, but even hosts and other curiosities from the journey. Through this description, it displays the daily life of a traveller in an interesting way as well as many details about the visited places.

Gabriela of Schwarzenberg – A Short Path across Life and Europe, a parallel French-Czech edition

Gabriela of Schwarzenberg lived in the years 1825 – 1843. This edition contains the manuscript of her novel, a file of her correspondence and diaries from her travels around Europe. It describes the way of life of a young noble lady from the mid of the 19th century.

Jan Zajíc of Házmburg – Sarmacia: A Confession of a Czech Aristocrat

An edition of a manuscript deposited in the collection of the Austrian National Library. This publication represents a peculiar autobiographic text written by Jan Zajíc from the mid of the 16th century. The manuscript is accompanied by a number of beautiful contemporary displays, which are all part of our publication.

Gabriela Sobková of Kornice, Married of Spens-Booden – Diarial Family Records (1785 – 1808), a parallel Czech-German edition

This is an edition of family records written by the Silesian noblewoman at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, accompanied by a thorough essay. This publication provides a remarkable view into the daily life of a provincial noble of the Habsburg Empire at the verge of the modern era.

Karel Kramerius – A Journey Around the Czech Castles (1814 – 1818), a parallel Czech-German edition

Three travel journals of young Karel Kramerius, which display his vacational travels around Bohemia. The primary targets of his travels were castles and castle ruins perceived as a matter of early romantic interest in the monuments of old history. The original text is accompanied by drawings of the castles. These drawings are also part of the edition. The publication is supplied with a decent commentary apparatus and accompanied with an extensive essay on the fate of Karel Kramerius and the phenomenon of romantic travels around castles.


The Album of Late Medieval Script

Since 2002, the Scriptorium association has been publishing an extensive work of Hana Pátková, the Album of Late Medieval Script. From the primary intent, to comprise Northern Bohemia, an extensive and unique project came into being. It contains more than 10 volumes, so far.  

 

REGESTA BOHEMIAE ET MORAVIAE

This fundamental edition work of Czech historiography has been first published in 1855 by Karel Jaromír Erben. It contains “regesta” (shortened texts) of documents from Bohemian Lands issued in the years 600 – 1419. This entire work has been published for over 150 years and it has not been finished yet. Since the year 2000, Scriptorium has been participating (exclusively so far) in publishing this extensive piece of work. We strongly appreciate this participation and hope that we can vitally contribute to the Czech historical science.

 

DOCUMENTA PRAGENSIA

This is a series of conference proceedings, which contains the contributions from international scientific conferences of the Prague City Archives. Documenta Pragensia has been first published in 1980. Since the XIII volume (1996), publishing this series for the Prague City Archives was taken over by the Scriptorium association, thus causing a considerable rise in the technical and aesthetical level of this series. The volumes are published once a year and the number of the books published has reached three tens. In the year 2011, a new series was created, called Documenta Pragensia Supplementa. This series contains 3 volumes so far, also published by Scriptorium.

 

DOCUMENTA PRAGENSIA monographia

This is an edition series started by the Prague City Archives in 1992. It deals with Prague history and includes mostly editions of historical sources. Scriptorium has been publishing books in this edition since the second volume, which was the scientific edition by Hana Pátková, called Tax books of the Prague Old Town (1427 – 1434), published in 1996. So far 24 out of 27 volumes have been published by Scriptorium.

 

PRAGUE HISTORICAL STUDIES

The first volume of this series was published in 1964 in a small format 14,5x20cm. By the end of the 60s, it was published by Orbis publishing house for the Prague City Archives. At that time, it acquired its today appearance (format B5, hardcover with jacket). Since the XI volume (1979) it had been published by Panorama publishing house until 1993, when KLP and Albis International publishing houses took over (1994 – 2006). Since XXXV volume (2007), the Prague Historical Chronicle has been published by the Scriptorium association.

 

Gender in Czech Prescriptive Discourses of Early Modern Period

Series of edition, planned as a four volume series, intended for publishing of early Modern texts concerning various areas and forms of feminity. Three volumes were published so far, dedicated to virginity, widowhood (I), marriage (II) and texts from the 17th and 18th centuries. The fourth volume, dedicated to texts about the woman body (obstetric literature in particular), is being prepared. The series is prepared by Jana Ratajová and Lucie Storchová