[Next project] Confessions, by Augustine of Hippo

[David]

For my next project I'll tackle Augustine's Confessions (on the "Wanted" list):

• OLL transcription
• IA scans
• GitHub repo

Some questions already:

(1) Do we want Pilkington's "Preface"? I don't find it very interesting or illuminating (*nothing* like Henry Chadwick's Preface to his OWC translation), except for the last paragraph which situates Pilkington's work with previous translations (including taking over their annotations). We could provide that information in the Long Description, or in our own "bespoke" preface? Or, just include the whole thing if it looks worthwhile to others.

(2) This edition also includes a couple paragraphs as frontmatter from Augustine's Retractationes (more info here), which looks like Pilkington's choice, supplemented by a couple extracts from Augustine's letters reflecting on the Confessions added by Philip Schaff, general editor of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers series in which this work appears. Keep?

(3) And just to observe: there are over 1,000 footnotes, and many hundreds of Scripture references in the style of "Gen. iii. 16" which will all need [Editorial] updating. I doubt there's a way to automate this, but if anyone has any tricks for me, do tell. This regex: `([a-z\.] )(\b[ivxlc]{1,}\. )([0-9])` includes plenty of false positives, but at least in VSCodium (my project editor of choice), all the hits are nicely listed out.

David / Fife, UK

[David]

We might as well get a cover while we're at it, since there's a famous option, and this is an "autobiography": Sandro Botticelli's frescoe (jpg), "Sant'Agostino nello studio" (Italian) or "Saint Augustine in His Study", c. 1480 - 

There are alternatives, but after checking out three or four, this still works best for me. There are a couple potential PD Proofs:

1. Julia Cartwright, 1904: publication date (no "rights" statement) | page with image; or

2. Yukio Yashiro, 1925: publication date (no "rights" statement)| page with image.

How does that look? (Happy to upload to Artworks DB.)

[Weijia Cheng]

se lint checks for the citations using xpath. See https://github.com/standardebooks/tools/blob/1a421b51ba50c1e0b370a4e6b266128c2db77200/se/se_epub_lint.py#L3102

[Alex Cabal]

And you can use the `se xpath` tool to apply that regex to your project.
Unfortunately xpath can only find, not replace.

On 6/20/26 7:38 AM, 'Weijia Cheng' via Standard Ebooks wrote:
> se lint checks for the citations using xpath. See https://github.com/
> standardebooks/tools/blob/1a421b51ba50c1e0b370a4e6b266128c2db77200/se/
> se_epub_lint.py#L3102
>
> On Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 6:31:22 AM UTC-4 David wrote:
>
> We might as well get a cover while we're at it, since there's a
> famous option, and this is an "autobiography": Sandro Botticelli's

> frescoe <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
> File:Sandro_botticelli,_sant'agostino_nello_studio,_1480_circa,_dall'ex-coro_dei_frati_umiliati,_01.jpg> (jpg),/"/Sant'Agostino nello studio" (Italian) or "Saint Augustine in His Study <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Augustine_in_His_Study_(Botticelli,_Ognissanti)>", c. 1480 -

>
> cover-botticelli-400x600.jpg
>
> There are alternatives, but after checking out three or four, this
> still works best for me. There are a couple potential PD Proofs:
>

> 1. Julia Cartwright, 1904: publication date <https://archive.org/
> details/gri_33125008403004/page/n10/mode/1up> (no "rights"
> statement) | page with image <https://archive.org/details/
> gri_33125008403004/page/n136/mode/1up>; or
> 2. Yukio Yashiro, 1925: publication date <https://archive.org/
> details/BotticelliVol2/page/n102/mode/1up> (no "rights" statement)|
> page with image <https://archive.org/details/BotticelliVol2/page/
> n102/mode/1up>.

>
> How does that look? (Happy to upload to Artworks DB.)
>

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[Alex Cabal]

OK, Weijia will manage with Lukas reviewing. Weijia can you look at
these questions?

On 6/20/26 4:36 AM, David wrote:
> For my next project I'll tackle Augustine's Confessions <https://
> standardebooks.org/ebooks/augustine-of-hippo/confessions/j-g-
> pilkington> (on the "Wanted" list):
>
> * OLL transcription <https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/schaff-a-
> select-library-of-the-nicene-and-post-nicene-fathers-of-the-
> christian-church-vol-1#lf1330-01_head_014>
> * IA scans <https://archive.org/details/selectlibraryofn01auguuoft>
> * GitHub repo <https://github.com/dajare/augustine-of-
> hippo_confessions_j-g-pilkington>
>
> Some questions already:
>
> (1) Do we want Pilkington's "Preface <https://archive.org/details/
> selectlibraryofn01auguuoft/page/28/mode/2up>"? I don't find it very

> interesting or illuminating (*nothing* like Henry Chadwick's Preface to
> his OWC translation), except for the last paragraph which situates
> Pilkington's work with previous translations (including taking over
> their annotations). We could provide that information in the Long
> Description, or in our own "bespoke" preface? Or, just include the whole
> thing if it looks worthwhile to others.
>

> (2) This edition also includes <https://archive.org/details/
> selectlibraryofn01auguuoft/page/33/mode/1up> a couple paragraphs as
> frontmatter from Augustine's Retractationes (more info here <https://
> www.jstor.org/stable/3162239>), which looks like Pilkington's choice,

> supplemented by a couple extracts from Augustine's letters reflecting on
> the Confessions added by Philip Schaff, general editor of the Nicene and
> Post-Nicene Fathers series in which this work appears. Keep?
>
> (3) And just to observe: there are over 1,000 footnotes, and many
> hundreds of Scripture references in the style of "Gen. iii. 16" which
> will all need [Editorial] updating. I doubt there's a way to automate
> this, but if anyone has any tricks for me, do tell. This regex: `([a-
> z\.] )(\b[ivxlc]{1,}\. )([0-9])` includes plenty of false positives, but
> at least in VSCodium (my project editor of choice), all the hits are
> nicely listed out.
>
> David / Fife, UK
>

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[Alex Cabal]

I think the last paragraph with translation details is important enough
that we can keep the whole thing. It's not that long anyway.

On 6/20/26 4:36 AM, David wrote:
> For my next project I'll tackle Augustine's Confessions <https://
> standardebooks.org/ebooks/augustine-of-hippo/confessions/j-g-
> pilkington> (on the "Wanted" list):
>
> * OLL transcription <https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/schaff-a-
> select-library-of-the-nicene-and-post-nicene-fathers-of-the-
> christian-church-vol-1#lf1330-01_head_014>
> * IA scans <https://archive.org/details/selectlibraryofn01auguuoft>
> * GitHub repo <https://github.com/dajare/augustine-of-
> hippo_confessions_j-g-pilkington>
>

> Some questions already:
>
> (1) Do we want Pilkington's "Preface <https://archive.org/details/
> selectlibraryofn01auguuoft/page/28/mode/2up>"? I don't find it very

> interesting or illuminating (*nothing* like Henry Chadwick's Preface to
> his OWC translation), except for the last paragraph which situates
> Pilkington's work with previous translations (including taking over
> their annotations). We could provide that information in the Long
> Description, or in our own "bespoke" preface? Or, just include the whole
> thing if it looks worthwhile to others.
>

> (2) This edition also includes <https://archive.org/details/
> selectlibraryofn01auguuoft/page/33/mode/1up> a couple paragraphs as
> frontmatter from Augustine's Retractationes (more info here <https://

> www.jstor.org/stable/3162239>), which looks like Pilkington's choice,

> supplemented by a couple extracts from Augustine's letters reflecting on
> the Confessions added by Philip Schaff, general editor of the Nicene and
> Post-Nicene Fathers series in which this work appears. Keep?
>
> (3) And just to observe: there are over 1,000 footnotes, and many
> hundreds of Scripture references in the style of "Gen. iii. 16" which
> will all need [Editorial] updating. I doubt there's a way to automate
> this, but if anyone has any tricks for me, do tell. This regex: `([a-
> z\.] )(\b[ivxlc]{1,}\. )([0-9])` includes plenty of false positives, but
> at least in VSCodium (my project editor of choice), all the hits are
> nicely listed out.
>
> David / Fife, UK
>

[Alex Cabal]

I mean the preface

On 6/20/26 4:36 AM, David wrote:
> For my next project I'll tackle Augustine's Confessions <https://
> standardebooks.org/ebooks/augustine-of-hippo/confessions/j-g-
> pilkington> (on the "Wanted" list):
>
> * OLL transcription <https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/schaff-a-
> select-library-of-the-nicene-and-post-nicene-fathers-of-the-
> christian-church-vol-1#lf1330-01_head_014>
> * IA scans <https://archive.org/details/selectlibraryofn01auguuoft>
> * GitHub repo <https://github.com/dajare/augustine-of-
> hippo_confessions_j-g-pilkington>
>

> Some questions already:
>
> (1) Do we want Pilkington's "Preface <https://archive.org/details/
> selectlibraryofn01auguuoft/page/28/mode/2up>"? I don't find it very

> interesting or illuminating (*nothing* like Henry Chadwick's Preface to
> his OWC translation), except for the last paragraph which situates
> Pilkington's work with previous translations (including taking over
> their annotations). We could provide that information in the Long
> Description, or in our own "bespoke" preface? Or, just include the whole
> thing if it looks worthwhile to others.
>

> (2) This edition also includes <https://archive.org/details/
> selectlibraryofn01auguuoft/page/33/mode/1up> a couple paragraphs as
> frontmatter from Augustine's Retractationes (more info here <https://

> www.jstor.org/stable/3162239>), which looks like Pilkington's choice,

> supplemented by a couple extracts from Augustine's letters reflecting on
> the Confessions added by Philip Schaff, general editor of the Nicene and
> Post-Nicene Fathers series in which this work appears. Keep?
>
> (3) And just to observe: there are over 1,000 footnotes, and many
> hundreds of Scripture references in the style of "Gen. iii. 16" which
> will all need [Editorial] updating. I doubt there's a way to automate
> this, but if anyone has any tricks for me, do tell. This regex: `([a-
> z\.] )(\b[ivxlc]{1,}\. )([0-9])` includes plenty of false positives, but
> at least in VSCodium (my project editor of choice), all the hits are
> nicely listed out.
>
> David / Fife, UK
>

[Weijia Cheng]

I don't think we need the quotes section, since they are not really a part of the book itself.

The cover looks good. You can go ahead and upload it to the artworks DB and I'll approve it.

[David]

Thanks for that, Weijia - and the xpath tip! (Also: preface inclusion noted.)

Artwork now uploaded.