Overall, this book contains an excellent sampling of Reformation satires, selected by Rummel to communicate the entire spectrum of these writings, both Catholic and reformist. Additionally, Rummel's preface to each work provides outstanding background and commentary on the satire. Her selections provide a good balance of opposing viewpoints, with _The Powers of the Romanists_, _Theologists in Council_, and "A Journey for Religion's Sake" representing the humanist and Lutheran reformers, and "A Reuchlinist's Ascent to Heaven" and _The Great Lutheran Fool_ epitomizing the conservative Catholic theologians. These masterpieces of Reformation literature are extraordinary in many respects, not the least of which is the fact that these writings manage to educate and to entertain, to shock and to please, to generate feelings of abhorrence and of wonderment, all in the period of a single breath. The translations of each of these works more than adequately convey the spirit of the originals-even today they are capable of evoking the same intense emotions within the reader as they must have done in the sixteenth century. Just as Gratius, Rubianus, Murner, and Erasmus directed their writings toward a wide-ranging general audience, so too does Rummel keep the diction and style of her translations faithful to their originals. The remarkable cleverness of language and mastery of technique abundant in these wonderful satires is as evident and enjoyable today was they were nearly five centuries ago.
This book is not without its flaws, however, though they are few and far between. One such imperfection is the vast amount of endnotes that accompany each selection. Although it is possible to read and even to understand the majority of the text without referring to the notes, it is not recommended, excepting those with a classical background-these notes serve to clarify certain Greco-Roman or Reformation Era references. It would have been better had the publisher printed them as footnotes rather than endnotes, as the constant page-flipping can become rather tedious. One other blemish concerns the selection _The Great Lutheran Fool_: Rummel presents this work only in fragments of prose. Even though the prose translation is a worthy one, it cannot fully convey the mood of the verse. This slight transgression is easily forgiven, however, when one takes into account the difficulty of retaining the meaning of the original when translating from German to English verse. The fragmentation of this selection is not so simply overlooked, as only small selections of the poem are used, all taken from the first half of the work. These minor defects, however, do not hinder the overall value and enjoyment of the book, and _Scheming Papists and Lutheran Fools_ is still an exceptional piece of literature.