A Global Invitation to Explore Early Books
Smith&Press serves a global audience united by curiosity about the past. While our current collection focuses on early European printed books, our vision is inclusive and outward-looking. We anticipate expanding our collection to include works from other regions in the future.
Having fun reading the past.
Making it possible to read Antiquarian books from the 15th through the 18th centuries.
Discover English Translations of Early Printed Books
Enter a time when the printed page began to change how knowledge was shared. Smith&Press brings pre-eighteenth-century works to life for today’s readers. By creating English translations of early printed books, we make rare texts—once accessible only to specialists—available for exploration, learning, and enjoyment.
We share our work openly through high-quality images, complete translations, and—where appropriate—animated interpretations drawn from original early books. Our materials are designed for use in classrooms, research, and personal discovery. Whether you are a university student, professor, antiquarian book lover, or history enthusiast, our goal is simple: to help you experience early books as living works, not distant relics.
Translations That Connect Us to Early Knowledge
Most early European books were printed in Latin or Greek, placing them beyond the reach of many modern readers. Our shared dream is not only to access these early libraries, but to read them, understand them, and explore the worlds that produced them. This website exists for you—to learn, to explore, and to enjoy the experience of reading early texts in translation.
We select early printed books for their historical significance and cultural impact. Of particular interest to us is the transformation of education and public knowledge brought about by the advent of print. Subjects such as medical astrology, astronomy, and alchemy reveal how people once understood the universe and their place within it. Cartography and world history studies were very fluid during the 15th century.
What We Do
Smith&Press produced the only English translation of the Liber Chronicarum (Latin edition) and has translated additional works that were previously unavailable in English. What sets us apart is our method and our motivation. Every translation is created manually by world-class scholars—translated and edited manually, with care and precision. We do this for the love of the book. Our work reflects a rare balance of academic rigor, bibliophilic passion, and thoughtful use of technology. While we continue to rely on traditional scholarly methods, we also look ahead. In the future, we will explore responsible uses of technology, including AI.
