The Alciati companion appears a fearsomely informative reference book! ... replete with stimulating ideas and almost encyclopaedic information, providing illuminating and enjoyable reading even for those with little or no acquaintance with emblems and emblem books ... indeed a most comprehensive reference work covering a highly recondite field. It is also an inspiration to thinkers, a model for indexers, and—in its own astonishing way—a masterpiece.