Works by Possevino

This online, accessible, and continually evolving bibliographical project seeks to catalog all known works authored and published by Antonio Possevino.

The bibliography has been developed following the structure and most of the criteria established by Carlos Sommervogel, S.J., in his Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, under the entry “Possevino, Antoine.” For reference, see Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus (…) Nouvelle édition par Carlos Sommervogel, S.J., vol. VI (Brussels/Paris: Shepens/Picard, 1895), 1061–93.

Sommervogel assigned a progressive numbering system to each work, arranging them in chronological order based on their first publication. Within each numbered entry, he documented the various subsequent editions of the work.

This bibliography has systematically traced all the editions recorded by Sommervogel, and where digital copies are available, it provides direct links for online access. Additionally, it is designed to expand beyond Sommervogel’s original catalog by incorporating editions and works he may have overlooked. In this way, the project functions as a collaborative, crowd-sourced endeavor aimed at furthering the monumental bibliographic work of Sommervogel, ultimately serving as a comprehensive and up-to-date repository indispensable for historical research on Possevino.

Rubric

Each work is assigned a progressive number based on the system established by Sommervogel.

Examples:
1: Numbering follows Sommervogel’s original sequence.
1*: Additional works not cataloged by Sommervogel.

Specimens are categorized based on whether they were recorded by Sommervogel.

Examples:
a, b, c: Specimens documented in Sommervogel.
B, C, D: Specimens not recorded by Sommervogel.
a1, a2 / B1, B2: Volumes comprising multiple tomes or books.

The abbreviated and standardized title of the work in its original language.

Short titles retain essential information from the original titles while normalizing spelling. Titles in vernacular languages are updated to reflect modern spelling (e.g., Dialogo dell’honore → Dialogo dell’onore in Italian), while Latin titles are normalized in terms of lettering (e.g., Iesv → Iesu, Posseuino/Posseuini → Possevino/Possevini).

An abbreviated English translation of the title.

The full title is transcribed according to the original spelling, following a conservative approach that adheres to the original print source:

  • If the title page is available: The full text preceding the publisher’s engraving is transcribed.
  • If the title page is missing: The transcription follows the spelling recorded in electronic catalogs, with the following priority:
  1. OPAC SBN
  2. Worldcat.org
  3. KVK – Karlsruhe Virtual Katalog.
  • If both the title page and electronic cataloging are unavailable: The transcription follows Sommervogel’s record.
  • If the work appears within a miscellany or another volume: The full title of the specific work is transcribed, along with the abbreviated title of the containing volume.

The year of publication.

Examples:
1556: The year as printed in the book.
1556*: The verified year of publication, though not printed in the book.
– : The year of publication is unknown.
[blank] : No copies of the specimen available.

The place of publication.

Examples:
Rome: The normalized name of the publication city as printed in the book.
Rome*: The verified publication city, though not printed in the book.
[blank] : The place of publication is unknown.

The name of the printer.

Examples:
Francesco Osanna: The printer’s name as it appears on the title page.
Francesco Osanna*: The verified printer’s name, though not printed on the title page.
– : The publisher is unknown.
[blank] : No copies of the specimen available.

The known preservation status of the specimen.

Examples:
e: Physical copies are known to exist.
X: No known surviving copies.

If a digital copy is available in open access, a clickable button redirects to the online resource.

This online, accessible, and continually evolving bibliographical project seeks to catalog all known works authored and published by Antonio Possevino.

The bibliography has been developed following the structure and most of the criteria established by Carlos Sommervogel, S.J., in his Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, under the entry “Possevino, Antoine.” For reference, see Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus (…) Nouvelle édition par Carlos Sommervogel, S.J., vol. VI (Brussels/Paris: Shepens/Picard, 1895), 1061–93.

Sommervogel assigned a progressive numbering system to each work, arranging them in chronological order based on their first publication. Within each numbered entry, he documented the various subsequent editions of the work.

This bibliography has systematically traced all the editions recorded by Sommervogel, and where digital copies are available, it provides direct links for online access. Additionally, it is designed to expand beyond Sommervogel’s original catalog by incorporating editions and works he may have overlooked. In this way, the project functions as a collaborative, crowd-sourced endeavor aimed at furthering the monumental bibliographic work of Sommervogel, ultimately serving as a comprehensive and up-to-date repository indispensable for historical research on Possevino.

Each work is assigned a progressive number based on the system established by Sommervogel.

Examples:
1: Numbering follows Sommervogel’s original sequence.
1*: Additional works not cataloged by Sommervogel.

Specimens are categorized based on whether they were recorded by Sommervogel.

Examples:
a, b, c: Specimens documented in Sommervogel.
B, C, D: Specimens not recorded by Sommervogel.
a1, a2 / B1, B2: Volumes comprising multiple tomes or books.

The abbreviated and standardized title of the work in its original language.

Short titles retain essential information from the original titles while normalizing spelling. Titles in vernacular languages are updated to reflect modern spelling (e.g., Dialogo dell’honore → Dialogo dell’onore in Italian), while Latin titles are normalized in terms of lettering (e.g., Iesv → Iesu, Posseuino/Posseuini → Possevino/Possevini).

An abbreviated English translation of the title.

The full title is transcribed according to the original spelling, following a conservative approach that adheres to the original print source:

  • If the title page is available: The full text preceding the publisher’s engraving is transcribed.
  • If the title page is missing: The transcription follows the spelling recorded in electronic catalogs, with the following priority:
  1. OPAC SBN
  2. Worldcat.org
  3. KVK – Karlsruhe Virtual Katalog.
  • If both the title page and electronic cataloging are unavailable: The transcription follows Sommervogel’s record.
  • If the work appears within a miscellany or another volume: The full title of the specific work is transcribed, along with the abbreviated title of the containing volume.

The year of publication.

Examples:
1556: The year as printed in the book.
1556*: The verified year of publication, though not printed in the book.
– : The year of publication is unknown.
[blank] : No copies of the specimen available.

The place of publication.

Examples:
Rome: The normalized name of the publication city as printed in the book.
Rome*: The verified publication city, though not printed in the book.
[blank] : The place of publication is unknown.

The name of the printer.

Examples:
Francesco Osanna: The printer’s name as it appears on the title page.
Francesco Osanna*: The verified printer’s name, though not printed on the title page.
– : The publisher is unknown.
[blank] : No copies of the specimen available.

The known preservation status of the specimen.

Examples:
e: Physical copies are known to exist.
X: No known surviving copies.

If a digital copy is available in open access, a clickable button redirects to the online resource.

Bibliotheca Posseviniana

Possevino’s Project is developed and maintained by the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies .

Copyright © 2025 by the Jesuit Conference, Inc., USA
Published by the Institute of Jesuit Sources

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Add New Playlist