A Companion to Jan Hus, ed. František Šmahel and Ota Pavlíček (Leiden: Brill, 2015; pp. 447. €162).

Abstract

<p>Judging from the plethora of series by major publishers offering the generalist a guided tour of all manner of subjects, it seems as though everybody and everything needs a companion. Now, Jan Hus has his. This book, edited by František Šmahel and Ota Pavlíček, has been a long time coming. Initially commissioned in 2003, the project has endured several changes of editor and a host of other mitigating factors. Nevertheless, it arrived in time for the six-hundredth anniversary of Hus' death. It features contributions from eleven scholars, eight of whom are Czech. Both of the editors are undisputed experts on Jerome of Prague and Šmahel is the unrivalled living authority on the Hussite Revolution, though neither, until relatively recently, has written a great deal on Hus himself. Still, we can be grateful for the appearance of the volume, even if it represents some opportunities missed.</p>