Cultural Translation in Early Modern Europe.pdf

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CULTURAL TRANSLATION IN EARLY

MODERN EUROPE

This groundbreaking volume gathers an international team of histor-

ians to present the practice of translation as part of cultural history.

Although translation is central to the transmission of ideas, the

history of translation has generally been neglected by historians,

who have left it to specialists in literature and language. This book

seeks to achieve an understanding of the contribution of translation

to the spread of information in early modern Europe. It focuses on

non-fiction: the translation of books on religion, history, politics and

especially on science, or ‘natural philosophy’ as it was generally

known at this time. The chapters cover a wide range of languages,

including Latin, Greek, Russian, Turkish and Chinese. The book will

appeal to scholars and students of the early modern and later periods,

and to historians of science and of religion, as well as to anyone inter-

ested in translation studies.

PETER BURKE is retired Professor of Cultural History at the

University of Cambridge and Life Fellow of Emmanuel College. His

most recent publications include What is Cultural History? (2004)and

Languages and Communities in Early Modern Europe (2004).

(2nd

edition, 2005) and the sixth volume of The Cambridge History of

Christianity: Reform and Expansion,

1540

–

1770

1500

–

1660

(2007).

R . PO - CHIA HSIA is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History at

Pennsylvania State University. He is the author and editor of numer-

ous books, including The World of Catholic Renewal,

CULTURAL TRANSLATION IN

EARLY MODERN EUROPE

EDITED BY

PETER BURKE

AND

R. PO-CHIA HSIA