INTRODUCTION
Conventional histories of literature and orthodox bibliography
have paid scant attention to the reaction of the reading public to
book production. Sociologists, public opinion analysts, and
commercial interests have recognized the importance of current
problems of "literary taste." What are the reasons for the neglect
of the historical aspects of readers' reactions? The scarcity of
objective data would appear to be the obvious explanation. However,
we possess a mass of information which can profitably be utilized
in analyzing the reception by the public of specific titles or
groups of publications. The first and main sources are data on the
periodicity, or frequency of republication, a barometer of public
appeal, which can be assembled with comparative ease by the scholar
well trained in the use of bibliographical tools. Another, more
obscure source, is found in the advertisements and catalogues
issued by publishers and bookdealers with some frequency since the
15th century.
Specimens of this latter type are the subject of this paper.
The firm of Aldus, founded in 1494 by Aldo Manuzio and continued
successfully by his son Paolo, fell into comparative decline under
his grandson Aldo Manuzio, the Younger. From 1581 on, the business
was conducted largely by Niccolo Manassi
who, in the words of Renouard
[1]
exploited "non sans quelque capacité, l'immense réputation
de
cette typographie célèbre." Renouard who takes a somewhat
dim
view of Manassi's stewardship, comments on him, under the year
1586, as follows: "L'imprimerie, régie par Nicolas Manassi . .
. se trouve réduite à bien peu de chose. Il paroît que
son exploitation se bornoit presque à la vente du peu de livres
restés en magasin." This statement is not entirely correct. His
activities as a publisher, between the years 1581 and 1586, compare
not unfavorably with those of the younger Aldus. That more than a
few books were still in stock becomes evident upon examination of
the "Libri di stampa d'Aldo che si trovano al presente" (see
illustrations). It seems, however, true that Manassi was eager to
reduce the stock at hand; or so we deduce from his use, from 1586
on, of a new kind of sales catalogues, published as appendices of
the firm's
regular publications. As far as could be ascertained, he was the
first to use his own publications as vehicles for advertising the
remaining, unsold stock. This technique, used today on book
jackets, common in books during the 19th century, is generally
associated with English 17th century printers who used it to
promote the sale of dramatic publications.
[2]
Little or no attention has been paid to the sales catalogues of
Aldus, though Renouard mentioned them, had seen 23, and listed
21.[3] He reprints the sales
catalogue found in LeRoy, 1592 (R.248, 3) "parce qu'il est un des
plus amples"; he refers to it as the sixth Aldus catalogue. Five
earlier publishers' lists of the firm were printed separately, and
issued in the years 1498, 1503, 1513 (two catalogues) and 1563. The
1586-1598 series, of
which our sales catalogues are part, covers a comparatively short
period. Its catalogues are characterized by the fact that they were
printed as part of regular publications, and list only items still
available ("che si trovano"), and therefore unsold. By examining
items not sold, in the light of total production, we can arrive at
an estimate of the attitude of the reading public towards Aldus
publications. Since items—except for pre-publication
announcements—are priced, a comparison of the sales catalogues
provides data on book price variations. Finally, the listing itself
is brief and not too clear, as was customary for all early
bibliographies and catalogues; nevertheless, sufficient points of
some bibliographical value have been clarified, beyond the
information previously supplied in the comprehensive study of
Renouard, to justify further investigation of such sales
catalogues.
The designation "nuovo" (or "nuova," "nuovi") found following
the indication of size in the 1586 and 1589 catalogues, remains a
riddle. The most likely interpretation is that it refers to reprint
editions, an explanation which holds true for a majority of items
designated "nuovo." It cannot mean recent publications, since the
imprints cover the range from 1575 to 1589. It may mean new, as
against second-hand copies, but this is highly doubtful, since it
is assumed that most items advertised were available in several
copies, as must definitely be the case for the 1586-1589 imprints,
just off the press and presumably all new. It seems unlikely that
"nuovo" refers to a special kind of size, since it is used in
connection with folio, 4to, 8vo and 16mo.
Sales catalogues chosen here for the comparative study are those
printed in Armandus, Declaratio (1586)
[4]
and Bobali, Rime
(1589)[5] The relative position of
individual
items in those catalogues is indicated in the tabular presentation,
preceding the price. Data from the LeRoy list of 1592 have been
added to
illustrate the sales progress during the three following years.
Since the 1592 catalogue includes the dates of printing, it is of
particular value in identifying editions in the two earlier
catalogues. By re-arranging chronologically the items listed in the
sales catalogues of the Armandus and the Bobali, the business
success of Manassi and the Aldus family is portrayed somewhat in
the fashion of an inventory.
