The Book of Vagabonds and Beggars, with a Vocabulary of Their Language

A vivid portal into the world of 16th‑century Central Europe, this translation brings the forgotten “Liber Vagatorum” to modern ears. The editor’s careful preservation of the original’s rustic tone lets listeners hear the raw chatter of itinerants, complete with a glossary that decodes their secret slang. As the pages turn, the voice of the era’s reformers and scholars intertwines with the streetwise anecdotes, offering a rare glimpse of a society on the brink of dramatic change.

The introductory essay sets the scene, describing how begging evolved from desperate need into a structured, almost artistic profession, closely tied to the rise and fall of mendicant orders. It sketches the clash between wandering poets, restless scholars, and the burgeoning regulations that sought to curb vagrancy just before the Reformation’s sweep. A striking wood‑cut frontispiece adds visual texture, completing the immersive portrait of a “golden age” of vagabonds that shaped the cultural fabric of the time.