Monday, September 14, 2020

Support this Angelico Press project: the Vulnerary of Christ

Angelico Press.org
Kickstarter Project page
The Vulnerary of Christ 
Kickstarter campaign to translate and publish a book
about the five wounds of Christ and their mysteries
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WHAT IS THE VULNERARY OF CHRIST?

A book about the history of emblematic depictions of the Five Wounds that Jesus Christ suffered at the Crucifixion: their symbolism and representation in religious art, liturgical objects, heraldry, even household items. Evidence is provided of extensive devotion to the Heart of Christ centuries prior to official recognition of devotion to the Sacred Heart by the Catholic Church in 1765. Fascinating evidence also connects these themes to the legend of the Holy Grail.

Jesus-Christ symbolized by a lamb, bleeding from his side into a cup on an altar

THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING THIS BOOK

The manuscript upon which this book is based was completed in 1946 by the French scholar Louis Charbonneau-Lassay (1871-1946) shortly before his death. After his death, the manuscript was stolen by someone claiming to be a publisher, and has never surfaced again. Some have speculated that, since certain chapters in the book deal with carefully guarded materials known only from a 15th-century manuscript associated with a mysterious Christian society called the Estoile Internelle (Inner Star), a contemporary member of this organization may have carried it off to maintain secrecy.

Louis Charbonneau-Lassay in his workshop engraving an illustration for his book

HOW THE VULNERARY OF CHRIST WAS RECONSTITUTED?

Fortunately, in 2016, through a remarkable series of circumstances, a French researcher in symbolism acquired the original and very extensive archives of Louis Charbonneau-Lassay, and was able to reconstitute the content of the Vulnerary of Christ by reference to thousands of files, sketches, and woodcuts preserved in the archives. In 2018 the book was finally published in French (75 years after its intended publication).

The original author's archives, almost a hundred years old, were used to reconstitute this book

TRANSLATING AND PUBLISHING THE VULNERARY OF CHRIST

Angelico Press has engaged a gifted translator experienced in this domain, with a special interest in Charbonneau-Lassay, but the project is vast, as the final text will number approximately 600 pages, and include over 350 illustrations, many of them drawn, carved, or printed by the author himself. Considerable copyediting and bibliographic/indexing work is also involved. In order to ensure that this remarkable text may become a resource for Anglophones, we are asking for support from the wider community of those who share our conviction of the enormous importance of this book.

Excerpt from the Vulnerary of Christ, translated in English from French

WHAT YOU GET IN RETURN FOR FUNDING THIS PROJECT

Get an early copy of the Vulnerary of Christ, either a paperback version or if you are a collector and like beautiful books, a personalized hardcopy edition, as well as many extras depending on your level of funding. Help us complete this book's resurrection by making it accessible to all English speaking readers!

Some of the rewards include a fine print of the Rosa Mystica artwork

WHAT WE ARE PLANNING TO DO WITH THE MONEY

  • Finish the translation: $2000. This will cover the translator's time (and coffee) needed to achieve this very difficult task.
  • Editing costs: $1000. Because of the complexity of the typesetting for this book, the editing costs are much higher than for a regular work.
  • Publishing costs: $1000 to print books and rewards.
  • Kickstarter fees and taxes: $450
  • Any additional funds will be used to start a full translation of the extraordinary Bestiary of Christ by Louis Charbonneau-Lassay, never done before in its entirety.
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