This work is the first English translation of De humani corporis fabrica, a book published in Latin in 1543. The original text was seven books contained in one large folio, approximately 10 x 16 inches. The illustrations were woodcuts, many full-page in size. Our challenge was to preserve the integrity and beauty of the text, which also included many small marginal notes and illustrations, while still maintaining a format that was accessible and informative to the reader. We also needed to find a trim size that was economical to print.

The size of the text—over 400,000 words in the original— with the addition of commentary by the translator, required that the work be split into several volumes. We decided on a 9 x 12-inch trim size that would allow almost all of the illustrations to be printed at full size and that was still a relatively standard trim size for printers. We picked a readily available text stock that was similar in appearance and feel to works published in the 16th century. We also put in cross-references to the original pages of the Latin work in the outside margins of the translated text.