Aldus Manutius: Venetian Printer, Publisher and Scholar

Essay by Meghan O'Reilly

Aldus Manutius, Venetian printer publisher and scholar, is best known for his publishing company and invention of italic types in his portable library. Many things have led to the types in the books we know today, but a great influence on the history of books and type was due to this printer / publisher. Aldus invented the italics, cut by his type cutter Francesco Griffo which were based on the earlier cuts of roman type. Aldus' italics, because they took up less room, resulted in his portable library of books which were smaller with a more relaxed feel creating books that were more comfortable for people to read.

Aldus founded the Aldine Press in Venice in 1494. The Aldine Press issued 127 editions during Aldus' lifetime; of these issues were the handbooks known as Aldus' portable library. After Aldus' death, the press continued as he knew it with his father-in-law and two brother-in-laws running it until it was left to their son Paolo, which was later passed onto Aldus' grandson Aldo who ran the press until his passing in 1597 (Fletcher 60). The Aldine Press is still running in Venice today. Due to all the pirated materials since Aldus' time, because he was so well known, the antique books printed by the press are called Aldines.

Italic Type

The italic lettering that Aldus used in his portable library was derived from a "subdivision of roman type" (Baines and Haslam 60) which was manipulated to look like the cursive or chancery hands. The cursive was known to be much less of a formal style, "while the upright humanist scripts appeared in prestigious, expensively produced books[.] The cursive form was used by the cheaper writing shops, where it could be written more rapidly than the carefully formed lettera antica" (Lupton 15). Aldus valued the leisurely writing because he wanted his readers to have a more comfortable feel while reading the novels he was publishing with this type. Quick writing tended to "react on the shapes of the letters […] with a tendency to ligaturing, or joining of adjacent letters […] and a tendency for these hands to incline towards the right" (Dowding 43). From this was derived what we now call our italic types. "Aldus designed, with the help of his type cutter, Francesco Griffo, the first italic type" (Dowding 31), the Aldine italics which were easily legible and slightly sloped, "the b, d, h, k, and l seriffed at the ascender line, and the p, and q, at the descender line". Italic began with lowercase letters only, with the uppercase letters consisting of roman capitals at the beginning of the sentences. All the roman capitals remained shorter than the ascending letters. Aldus appreciated the amount of space the sloping of the letters saved, and he had the first italic types cut in 1500 followed by the italic printed in his first pocket sized book published the year after. The octavo sized books had a great turn out and became very popular because they were so small and affordable. From the 1600s when it became known that "no roman typeface was cut without a companion italic" (Baines & Haslam 60), a lot has changed, influencing the italic lettering we have today. "Today, the italic style in most fonts is not simply a slanted version of the roman; it incorporates the curves, angles, and narrower proportions associated with cursive forms" (Lupton 15).

Portable Library

By 1500 Venice was the "renowned center for printing" (Jury 35) and was more advanced than the rest of Italy. Even after metal type had been invented and used, many people still chose to read books that were handwritten. In 1501, Aldus printed his first pocket sized book, which had a more relaxed hand-written looking type. Aldus created his smaller "handbooks" because he had the intention of creating a book that was cheaper, and easier to read. Aldus was very strict on creating the portable library, thinking of his books as "noble instruments […] and intended the series to be composed only of good literature: the "classics" in Greek [and] Latin" (Fletcher 46). Aldus' main focus was to design a book that would sit comfortably in the hand, and could be read like a paperback novel we read today. Aldus wrote the novels in italics to save space, resulting in less ink and less paper being used, in turn making his books more affordable. Aldus bound the books in velum, a material derived from the skin of animals, so they would not disintegrate as quickly. All of the contributions Aldus made to his libeli portables – "portable little books" targeted the one purpose of creating books that were cheaper, easier and more comfortable for people to read.

Conclusion

Aldus Manutius, a scholar from Venice made a mark in the history of books. He became a printer /publisher who invented the italics, cut by Francesco Griffo; The types derived from roman lettering and influenced by the chancery hand. Aldus' italics resulted in the type taking less room and giving a more relaxed feel for readers, creating smaller, more comfortable books for people to read – these books known as the portable library. Each of these steps lead to the books we have today, with the types we have in them. All types since the 1600s now have a companion italic, which are displayed in books which have remained studious forms of study, or can be read in a relaxed leisurely manner. Although many of Aldus' books and ideas were pirated, in the end the true printer / publishers historic discoveries will be honored.

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Works Cited

Baines, Paul and Andrew Haslam. Type & Typography. 2nd edition. New York : Watson-Guptill Publications, 2005. Print.

Dodd, Robin. From Gutenberg to Opentype: An Illustrated History of Type from the Earliest Letterforms to the Latest Digital Fonts. Vancouver: Hartley & Marks, 2006. Print.

Dowding, Geoffrey. An Introduction to the History of Printing Types. London: Wace & Company, 1961. Print.

Fletcher, George. In Praise of Aldus Manutius. New York: The Pierpont Morgan Library, 1995. Print.

Jury, David. What is Typography? Crans-Press-Celigny ; Hove : RotoVision, 2006. Print.

Lupton, Ellen. Thinking with type: a critical guide for designers, writers, editors, & students. 1st edition. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004. Print.