Aldine Press facts for kids
The Aldine Press was a famous printing company started by Aldus Manutius in 1494 in Venice, Italy. This company became well-known for its "Aldine editions" of classic books. These books included masterpieces from ancient Greek and Latin writers, along with some newer works. The very first book with Aldus Manutius's name on it came out in 1495.
The Aldine Press is very important in the history of typography, which is the art of arranging type. One of its biggest achievements was introducing italics to printed books. The press was also the first to print books in a small size called octavo. These books were similar to modern paperbacks and were easy to carry and read anywhere.
During Aldus Manutius's time, the press printed 132 books over 20 years. After he passed away in 1515, his wife Maria and her father Andrea Torresani continued the business. Later, Aldus's son, Paulus, took over. His grandson, Aldus Manutius the Younger, then ran the company until 1597. Today, old books printed by the Aldine Press are called Aldines. The special letter styles and fonts they created are also known by this name.
The Aldine Press had a special right to print books in Greek in Venice. This was like having a copyright for these books. However, it was harder to protect their books outside of Venice. Many fake copies were made in places like Lyon, which affected their sales.
Contents
How It Started
Aldus Manutius, who founded the Aldine Press, was first a scholar and a teacher. He loved learning and teaching about ancient texts. Manutius met Andrea Torresani, who had bought printing equipment from the wife of another famous printer, Nicolas Jenson.
At first, the printing business was shared. Manutius was mainly in charge of choosing and editing the books. He left the money and daily operations to his partners. In 1496, Manutius set up his own part of the press in a building called the Thermae. This building was in a part of Venice called San Polo.
Manutius lived and worked in the Thermae. This was also where his "New Academy" met. This group of friends, helpers, and editors worked together to translate Greek and Latin texts. In 1505, Manutius married Maria, Torresani's daughter. This marriage brought their business shares together. After this, Manutius lived in Torresani's house. In 1506, the Aldine Press moved to Torresani's house.
What They Achieved
Manutius started the press because he loved classic books and wanted to make sure Greek studies survived. In its early years, the press printed new copies of works by Plato, Aristotle, and other important Greek and Latin writers.
The first edition of Plato's works printed by Aldus was very special. It was dedicated to Pope Leo X. The Aldine Press also printed dictionaries and grammar books. These helped scholars learn Greek and understand the ancient texts. Some historians believe that the Aldine Press helped save Greek knowledge after the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Erasmus, a famous scholar, worked with the Aldine Press. He helped make sure the translated texts were accurate. The Aldine Press also started printing books in modern languages, like Italian and French.
New Typefaces
Manutius wanted to make printing fonts even better. He hired Francesco Griffo to design and create new typefaces for his classic books. Griffo made improvements to existing fonts, creating one of the earliest roman typefaces.
Italic Type
Manutius and Griffo then created a slanted version of this font, which is now known as italic type. The word italic comes from early Italian versions of these fonts. They were first designed to save money on paper because the slanted letters took up less space. The Aldine Press first used italic type in 1500. Their 1501 edition of Virgil's Opera was the first book printed entirely in italic type. The roman and italic fonts created by Manutius and Griffo had a huge impact on how books looked.
Portable Books
Starting in 1505, Manutius began making plain texts in a small, portable size. He called them enchiridion, meaning "handbook." These small books were not cheap, but they were much more affordable than the large, heavy books of that time. These portable books had just the edited text, without long comments. They were printed in a font that looked like handwriting and fit comfortably in a person's hand. These portable books made it much easier for people to read and carry classic literature. Instead of going to a library, the book could come with them.
Publisher's Symbol and Motto
In 1501, Aldus started using a special symbol for his press: a dolphin wrapped around an anchor. This symbol came from an old Roman coin. The coin also had the saying "Festina Lente," which means "make haste slowly." This wise saying became the motto for the Aldine Press.
After 1515
Aldus Manutius passed away on February 6, 1515. After his death, his father-in-law Torresani and his daughter Maria (Aldus's widow) ran the company. The press's name changed a few times over the years. In 1533, Paulus Manutius, Aldus's son, took over and restarted the business. Later, in 1567, Aldus Manutius the Younger (Aldus Manutius's grandson) took charge and kept the business going until he died.
|
See Also
