The Emblemata of Andreas Alciatus was published in 1551 in Lyon and was soon translated into at least four languages. These volumes allow a researcher to consult all versions at once and compare them with considerable ease.
In Part 1 each of the emblems is reproduced in facsimilie, the motto and epigram transcribed and translated, the pictorial emblem analysed into its key motifs, and the relevant sources listed. Part 2 is organized in parallel fashion and deals with the translations of Marnef, Hunger, Held, Marquale, and Cadomosto.
Part 1 also contains thorough introductory sections, including a biography of Alciatus as it relates to his Emblemata, a useful bibliography, extensive cumulative indexes to the key motifs and mottoes, and lists all mottoes by language of origin and of the translations
By making the emblem books accessible to modern scholars in this fashion, the Index will enhance the study not only of literature, but also of the history of art, culture, religion, and symbol.