Aldine Press

Aldine called the books that were published in Venice by the printer dynasty Manutius 1494-1598.

History

Aldus Manutius in Venice in 1494 founded the printing Aldina. Trademarks of printing were the motto festina lente, translate with Ludo, and the signet anchor and dolphin. The anchor was a symbol of reliability and solidity, the dolphin as a symbol of speed.

Manutius led for his books a the octavo, while the manuscripts and incunabula had the quart or folio. The wooden inserts in the book covers he replaced with cardboard, so that the books were lighter in weight and easier to handle.

The new format required new pressure types. The italics used for the Aldine based on the calligraphy of the time. Designed for the issuance of Greek texts font was because of the large number of variants and ligatures of three hundred types, but was no longer used after the completion of the designed by Francesco Griffo Aristotle output, but replaced by one for the translator less expensive.

Printing products with this trademark soon became known throughout Europe under the name Aldine and enjoyed both under Printer colleagues for their technical quality and the beauty of the design as well as among scholars because of the exact text edition and the moderate prices an excellent reputation. The prices contributed to the great economic success of Aldine.

In some ways, the forerunner of the Aldine Paperbacks. Although Manutius had a printing privilege of the Republic of Venice, its print products were imitated quickly, through the emphasis of the text addition, the size, print and publishing types Signet.

The Aldine are coveted collectibles and reach at auctions high prices.

Aldineneinbände

Aldineneinbände called the Venetian leather covers, in the Aldine were tied. There are leather covers, decorated with golden ornaments. There is no evidence that the Aldine were bound at the printers Manutius.

Collections

• Aldine Collection at the John Rylands Library in Manchester
• Aldine collection in the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice
• Aldine collection of Brigham Young University 's Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham, USA
• Aldine Collection at the State Library in Berlin with 800 prints in 1088 volumes