How to See the Vatican/Publishers' Note

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626265How to See the Vatican — Publishers' NoteDouglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen

PUBLISHERS' NOTE

This volume gives the only description in English of the Vatican, considered, not as a collection of museums, but as the Royal Palace of the Popes, since Mr. Sladen's well-known book, The Secrets of the Vatican, is now completely out of print, and can never be published again, part of it remaining in the hands of the original publishers, Messrs. Hurst & Blackett, and part having been transferred to ourselves. This was because the chapters of the book which related to the home-life of the Pope necessarily need changing much oftener than the parts which describe the Vatican Palace itself. Those portions have been brought up to date, and are published, with some very interesting new matter included, by Messrs. Hurst & Blackett, under the title of The Pope at Home. The remainder of the book, likewise brought up to date, and with certain interesting additions, constitutes How to See the Vatican.

The illustrations are taken from photographs of parts of the Vatican not usually shown to visitors, reproductions of prints of Old St. Peter's and the treasures of the Crypt; and various plans of the Vatican and the Crypt to explain the gradual growth of the Palace and Cathedral of the Popes from the date of St. Peter's Martyrdom—a.d.—67 to our own day.

It will be noted also that the museums, picture galleries, and the like, for the reason mentioned above, and to keep the book within handbook limits, are only alluded to incidentally.