Editorial

Welcome to this true haven of culture and art called SILOÉ.

Because, in reality, what we offer, is pure art in book format. You, kind reader, should know that these replicas, which we finally present in book form, have undergone a meticulous and demanding craftsmanship. The folding of the bifolia, the raising of the quires in the frame to be sewn by hand in the old style, the binding, etc. are totally handmade processes that imitate the work of monks in medieval monasteries.

And to top it all off, the entire die-cutting process -which is one of our great secrets-, ageing and final handling is purely manual work to recreate the imprint -as faithfully as possible- that the passing of the centuries has left on each and every one of the ancient codices that we reproduce. One of our mottos is that famous phrase by Goya when he said that “Time also paints”. We aspire to “paint time”.

The result is a great surprise for those who see, touch or even smell our facsimiles. The imitation of the original parchment and its texture, as well as the snapping sound produced when leafing through it, makes readers immediately and unanimously wonder if they are not handling authentic medieval codices. And that is our true hallmark, the genuine SILOÉ touch of distinction.

Allow us to mention but a few of the most significant titles in our collection:

• The Bestiary of Don Juan of Austria. The only bestiary in the world in Spanish. (Out of print)
• The Book of the Knights of the Brotherhood of Santiago. (Burgos Cathedral, Spain). The oldest equestrian armorial in Europe.
• The Emilianense Codex of the Beatus of Liébana. (National Library of Spain, Madrid). The oldest of all the “Beatus of Liébana” manuscripts.
• The Liber Chronicarum. The most outstanding incunabulum of all incunabula.
• The Historia Naturalis by Johannes Jonstonus. 7 volumes. “The last of the great encyclopaedias on Natural History in the Renaissance period.
• The Book of Hours of Louis de Laval. (BnF, Paris). Considered to be the most spectacular Book of Hours of all times.
• The Voynich Manuscript. (Yale University, New Haven, USA). The most mysterious manuscript on the planet.
• The Cartularies of Valpuesta. (National Historical Archive, Madrid). This manuscript contains the first-ever words in written Spanish.
• Life and Miracles of Saint Louis. (BnF, Paris). One of the most beautiful manuscripts in the world.

Because of their singular significance we have to mention 2 more works: the Codex Calixtinus of the University of Salamanca, with its famous “Pilgrim’s Guide“, for many the first travel guide in Europe. And the Atlas de las Costas de España by Pedro Texeira, the most important cartographic project of the 17th century, recovered after over 300 years during which it was considered lost.

In terms of novelties, we wish to highlight the facsimile of the Views of Cities of the Kingdom of Spain, by a singular artist, Nicolás CHAPUY, who in 1844 immortalised 72 large and small cities of Spain in lithographs of breathtaking beauty. The original is a true world rarity.