PREFATORY NOTES BY THE REVISER.
The work commonly called the Arcana Coelestia was originally published by Emanuel Swedenborg in London, in the years 1749 to 1756. It was issued in eight large quarto "Parts," or volumes, and was written in Latin. In the original Latin the work has been once reprinted by the late Dr. Jo. Fr. Immanuel Tafel, Librarian of the University of Tübingen, who issued the work in thirteen octavo volumes in the years 1833 to 1842. To this edition the editor added a carefully tabulated list of the errata that had occurred in the first edition, which are rather numerous, in consequence of the author, Swedenborg, whose residence was in Stockholm, having had no opportunity to revise the proof sheets.
At the instance of Swedenborg himself the second "Part" or volume was translated into English, and the translation so made was published in London simultaneously with the Latin Part of which it was a translation.
With this exception the first translation of the Arcana Coelestia was the work of the Rev. John Clowes, Rector of St. John's, Manchester, England, and was published in London in twelve octavo volumes, in the years 1774 to 1806. The work has since been translated into the Swedish, French, and German languages; and in English has appeared in numerous editions consisting for the most part of revisions and re-revisions of the translation made by Clowes.
A perfectly new and original translation into English was made by Mr. George Harrison, of Longlands, near Kendal, England, and was published in London in twelve fine octavo volumes in the years 1857 to 1860; but although the work of an excellent Latin scholar, and valuable for critical reference, the work was marred by editorial linguistic idiosyncrasies of such a character as very seriously to impair its general usefulness.
The eleventh volume was retranslated by Dr. Rudolph Leonard Tafel, and was published in London in the year 1890.
