Editorial Alpha

Description

Publishing house created on 1926 under sponsorship of Francesc Cambó. It was oriented to the publication of works of humanistic character. The collections stand out was the Fundació Bernat Metge and Clàssics de tots els temps.

The Editorial Alpha was created and sponsored by Francesc Cambó. It was oriented to religious, literary, historical and artistic thematic. It was founded on 1926 with the aim of promoting two collections (Fundació Bíblica Catalana and Monumenta Cataloniae). It hosted later the editions of Fundació Bernat Metge, project initiated on 1922 also under Francesc’s Cambó sponsorship, and then created the Biblioteca Hebraico-Catalana, that only published three titles, or Clàssics de tots els temps, initiated on forties, among others.

In 1999 it was created the Institut Cambó with the aim to continue the cultural initiatives started by Francesc Cambó and from then he directs the activity of Editorial Alpha. Between the collections highlights the Fundació Bernat Metge, dedicated to the translation of the Greek and Latin classical authors to Catalan, with more than four hundred numbers published between the different series. One of the most collections of prestige, only interrupted between the 1939 and 1946, and recognised further of the Catalan territory.

The Editorial Alpha have the collaboration of the most eminent and reputed specialists such as Joaquim Balcells, Joan Estelrich, Josep Pijoan, Carles Riba, Josep Maria de Sagarra or Ferran Soldevila. It were published several collections, some of them, in spite of having a big literary quality and informative, don’t have much fortune. Instead the Fundació Bernat Metge and Clàssics de tots els temps have a long route of publications with big success.

Editorial Alpha

Authors

Most of the authors and the works of the Editorial Alpha come from classical world, and in this regard the translators play a key role and extraordinarily relevant.

• Balcells, Joaquim, 1890-1936

• Benguerel, Xavier, 1905-1990

• Boix i Selva, Josep Maria, 1914-1996

• Dolç, Miquel, 1912-1994

• Duran i Sanpere, Agustí, 1887-1975

• Estelrich, Joan, 1896-1958

• Folch i Torres, Joaquim, 1886-1963

• Gudiol, Josep, 1904-1985

• Martinell i Brunet, Cèsar, 1888-1973

• Olivar, Marçal, 1900-1994

• Peix i Crespi, Miquel, 1927-2007

• Pijoan, Josep, 1881-1963

• Puig i Cadafalch, Josep, 1867-1956

• Riba, Carles, 1893-1959

• Sagarra, Josep M. de, 1894-1961

• Soldevila, Ferran, 1894-1971

• Trens, Manuel, 1892-1976

Editorial Alpha

Illustrators and photographers

• Obiols, Josep, 1894-1967

Editorial Alpha

Collections

The Editorial Alpha was founded on 1926 with the aim of promoting two collections, the Fundació Bíblica Catalana and the Monumenta Cataloniae. Over time, three more collections were added, the Fundació Bernat Metge, the Biblioteca hebraico-catalana and Clàssics de tots els temps. The objective of these collections is to announce the art, the history, the literature and the religion of the Catalan territory.

• Biblioteca hebraico-catalana (1929-1931)

• Clàssics de tots els temps (1953-)

• Fundació Bernat Metge (1922-)

• Fundació Bíblica Catalana (1922-1968)

• Monumenta Cataloniae (1927-1966)

Editorial Alpha

Outstanding works

The Editorial Alpha highlighted for his orientation to the religious, literary, historical and artistic thematic. Therefore, we wanted to highlight in each collection one work. The main ones works highlighted are basically translations, for them high literary value and philological.

• Biblioteca hebraico-catalana, it is an ambitious project, that required a lot of requirements, quality and literary rigour. The Llibre d’ensenyaments delectables = Sèfer xaaixuïm, as Ingasi Gonzàlez-Llubera, translator and author of the introduction and the notes, the title shows the purpose of mentioning the didactic character, based the works in arabic, hebrew and romance languages, using the style of the arabic macama.

           Ibn Zabara, Joseph Ben Meir. Llibre d'ensenyaments delectables : Sèfer xaaixuïm / traducció amb introducció i notes d'Ignaci González-Llubera. Barcelona: Alpha, 1931.

• Clàssics de tots els temps. The first volume is devoted to the work El Paradís perdut from John Milton, with the translation and introduction to Josep's Maria Boix i Selva at 1953.

             Milton, John. El Paradís perdut / traducció i notes per Josep Maria Boix i Selva. Barcelona: Alpha, 1953.

• Fundació Bernat Metge, collection dedicated to the classics that will boost a methodology and a discipline following the trends of of others europeans countries. The first volume De la natura I from Lucreci, which, in addition, generated a big controversial around him.

             Lucretius Carus, Titus. De la natura I / text i traducció de Joaquim Balcells. Barcelona: Editorial Catalana: Fundació Bernat Metge, 1923-1928.

• Fundació Bíblica Catalana is devoted to the publication of biblical books in catalan.

          Lagrange, Marie-Joseph.  Sinopsi Evangèlica /  Text grec de Marie-Joseph Lagrange, versió catalana i notes de Lluís Carreras i Josep Maria Llovera. Barcelona: Alpha, 1927.

• Monumenta Cataloniae, in this collection are published works with the aim to spread the history of catalan art and raise awareness of the monumental heritage of Catalonia. The first two volumes were devoted to Els retaules de vidre of the 14th and 15th centruies. 

          Duran i Sanpere, Agustí. Els retaules de pedra dels segles XIV i XV (volum II). Barcelona: Alpha, 1932.