University of Virginia Library

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.