The story of Doctor Johann Faust, who sold his soul to the devil in order to gain knowledge of all the secrets of life and the world, is one of the fundamental themes of European culture and has countless literary, musical, and artistic adaptations. Mentions of this magician, doctor, philosopher, and necromancer appeared from the early 16th century in German literature, in letters, in city books, in sermons, or even in accounts for composing horoscopes. In 1587, a book summarizing everything known about Doctor Faust was published for the first time by the publisher Johann Spiesse in Frankfurt am Main. It achieved tremendous success – by the end of the 16th century, it had been published in at least twenty other altered and supplemented editions and began to be translated into other languages. In 1611, it was translated into Czech and published by the humanist writer Martin Carchesius, and his translation became the starting point for the Faustian tradition in Czech literature for centuries to come. A modern edition of Carchesius's translation was prepared in 1989, with an introductory study written by Jaroslav Kolár. Now, his exemplary edition is being published for the second time, expanded with an additional study written by Matouš Jaluška.
