vademecum

A vademecum is a portable manual or reference book designed for easy consultation. The term derives from the Latin vade mecum, literally meaning “go with me,” reflecting the idea of a small book kept at hand for quick guidance.

The concept covers a range of formats, including pocket-sized manuals, field guides, and compact compilations that assemble essential information for a given subject. A vademecum may contain rules, tables, conversion charts, dosage information, or other practical data intended to be consulted without delay. In professional contexts, it is often a concise, curated reference tailored to workflows rather than a comprehensive text.

Historically, vademecums were common among scholars, physicians, merchants, and travelers in early modern Europe and later periods. They functioned as portable repositories of indispensable facts and procedures, sometimes compiled by publishers or institutions as handy aids for work and study.

In modern usage, the term is still employed in several languages to describe a general reference handbook or a publisher’s compact guide. It may refer to a personal, field-specific reference kept for regular use, or to a small, authoritative handbook issued for a particular profession. While the form and content vary, the core idea remains a concise, readily accessible source of essential information.