Baronius Press

Baronius Pressis a traditionalCatholicbook publisher. It was founded inLondon,in 2002 by formerSt Austin Presseditor Ashley Paver and other young Catholics who had previously worked in publishing and printing. The press takes its name from the cardinalCesare Baronius,aNeapolitanecclesiastical historian who lived from 1538 to 1607. Its logo is abiretta,which together with acassockforms the traditional image of a Catholic priest.

History and publications

The original objective of Baronius Press was to raise the quality of traditional Catholic books in order to make them more appealing to a wider audience. Baronius Press aimed to achieve this goal by retypesetting classic Catholic books (rather than republishing facsimiles) and binding them using high quality coverings such as leather. The advantages of retypesetting are clearer text and the ability to use modern layouts.

The first publication of the Baronius Press was a new edition of theDouay–Rheims Bible.This was significant because nodigitally typesetedition had been previously released. A pocket edition and a Psalms and New Testament edition followed, and, in 2007, a giant size format was added to the range.In 2008, their range of Bibles was expanded by a parallel Douay–Rheims /Clementine Vulgate,which includes the appendix to the Old Testament which contains thePrayer of Manasseh,3 Esdras,and4 Esdras.

In 2004, Baronius Press published a new 1962 missal in cooperation with thePriestly Fraternity of St. Peter,bearing animprimaturfromBishop Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz,for use at thetraditional Roman mass.This was the first missal intended for use at the traditional mass with animprimaturto be published in more than 35 years. A new edition coinciding withPope Benedict XVI's 2007motu proprioSummorum Pontificumwas named the Motu Proprio edition of the 1962 Missal. It was noted in several Catholic newspapers and journals that it is currently the only 1962 Missal being published with a valid imprimatur.

Later in 2004, Baronius released a series of leather bound Catholic classics with the aim of expanding its range. By the end of 2006, the company had over 40 titles in print with the release of a new paperback series called Christian Classics.

Baronius published a new edition of theLittle Office of the Blessed Virgin Marythat contained all of the relevantGregorian chantsin October 2007. It was the first book to contain the complete music for the office. Websites complained that it contained several minor errors, and a revised edition correcting these was published at the end of 2008. In April 2012, its much anticipated Latin-EnglishRoman Breviarywas published, having been granted an imprimatur by BishopFabian Bruskewitz.Both the Breviary and the Little Office published by Baronius conform to theeditio typicaof the Breviary of 1961.

In October 2012, a complete edition of the Bible translated by Ronald Knox was published, with endorsements from CardinalCormac Murphy-O'Connor,ArchbishopVincent Nichols,and Anglican ArchbishopRowan Williams.

In 2017 Baronius published an updated edition ofLudwig Ott'sFundamentals of Catholic Dogma.This edition was edited by Robert Fastiggi, who also translated the latest edition ofDenzinger'sEnchiridion Symboloruminto English, incorporating a better translation of the German edition (including changes made by Ott himself after the Second Vatican Council), correcting some errors that had appeared in earlier English versions, and included references to Denzinger and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It received an Imprimatur from BishopMalcolm McMahonof Liverpool, United Kingdom and a foreword by BishopAthanasius Schneiderof Astana, Kazakhstan.

Legal matters

Baronius Press, Ltd. v. Saint Benedict Press, LLC

On 29 September 2016, Baronius filed a civillawsuitagainstTAN Books,a North Carolina-based Catholic publisher, and its parent company,Saint Benedict Press.The lawsuit alleged that TAN had violated Baronius's ownership of the copyright for the English translation ofLudwig Ott'sFundamentals of Catholic Dogma(Grundriß der katholischen Dogmatikin the original German) by reprinting the book in the United States following Baronius's 2009 purchase of the rights to the English translation from the original copyright holders. The English translation ofFundamentalshad been in the public domain in the United States since its initial publication in 1954, as U.S. copyright law in effect at the time did not provide automatic copyright protection to works initially published in foreign countries (the English translation ofFundamentalswas originally published in Ireland).TAN began reprinting the English translation in 1974 under the assumption thatFundamentalswas, in fact, a public domain work in the U.S. TAN ceased publication ofFundamentalsin 1996 following the possibility that the book had acquired copyrighted status in the United States as a restored work on 1 January 1996 under theUruguay Round Agreements Act.TAN elected to reprint againFundamentalsin 2013 in hardcover, prompting Baronius to file suit against Saint Benedict Press for copyright violation.

The lawsuit was settled on 25 March 2019. As a result of the settlement, TAN/SBP was forced to cease publication not only ofFundamentals,but also other works it had published to which Baronius had subsequently acquired the exclusive English-language rights, including Francois Trochu'sSaint Bernadette SoubirousandThe Sermons of the Curé d'Arsand numerous works byReginald Garrigou-Lagrange.

Hardback book list

• Douay–Rheims Bible
• MsgrKnox's Translation of the VulgateBible
• 1962Roman RiteMissal (motu proprio edition)
• 1961 Latin-English RomanBreviary
• 1961Little Office of the Blessed Virgin
• Rule of Saint Benedictby StBenedict
• Dark Night of the Soulby StJohn of the Cross
• The Way of Perfectionby StTeresa of Ávila
• The Story of a Soulby StThérèse of Lisieux
• True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Maryby StLouis de Montfort
• Dolorous Passion by BlessedAnne Catherine Emmerich
• Meditations and Devotions by StJohn Henry Newman
• Imitation of ChristbyThomas à Kempis
• The Holy Mass by DomProsper Guéranger
• Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine by ArchbishopMichael Sheehan
• TheCatechism of the Council of Trent
• Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma byLudwig Ott
• TheBaltimore Catechism(Numbers 1-4)

External links

• Baronius Press