From Nowhere: Utopian and Dystopian Visions of our - Chris J. Young

23. Saint Thomas More. The Utopia of Sir Thomas More. Oxford: Clarendon
Press, 1885.
Probably the first modern edition of Utopia, this bilingual version, edited by the scholar and
schoolmaster Joseph Hirst Lupton, includes much of the paratext that accompany both the
Latin editions and English translations by Robinson, along with a brief biography of More, and
an extensive glossary. Although lacking illustrations, the edition allows readers to compare and
contrast the Latin and English versions.
On loan from the Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies, Victoria University in the University of Toronto
24. Saint Thomas More. Utopia. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2011.
The most recent critical edition of Utopia, published by Norton, includes not only the paratext to
the various editions, but also background texts and modern criticism. The background texts include
excerpts from Plato’s Republic, and the Four Voyages by Amerigo Vespucci and his discovery of a
new continent. The critical texts are excerpted from the writings of literary utopian theorists such
as Northrop Frye, and from modern utopias such as Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness.
Compiled for a scholarly audience, this edition provides a comprehensive literary context for both
the work Utopia and the concept of utopia, from its inception in the sixteenth century.
25. Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598). Vtopiae.
in 1595, the famous cartographer Abraham Ortelius started work on designing a map of Utopia
constructed from the account of the island by Hythlodaeus. Similar in style to the maps produced
for Theatrum orbis terrarum, the map includes 111 topographical names in Latin, Greek, Spanish,
Dutch, Slavonic, Turkish, French, Utopian, italian, and German. The bottom right cartouche states:
To the spectator: behold the joys of the world. See the fortunate Kingdom. What could be
better? This is Utopia, Fortress of Peace, centre of Love and Justice, safe Haven and Trusted
Coast. Praised elsewhere, Venerated by you who knows why. This Land, more than Any
Other, offers you a Happy Life. Dedicated to Johannes Wacker von Wackenfels, as told by
Raphael, recorded by More, and drawn by Abraham Ortelius. Joy and Prosperity to You.
Johann Matthäus Wacker von Wackenfels (1550–1619) was an active diplomat, scholar and author,
with a keen interest in history and philosophy and was a close friend of the astronomer Johannes
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