Aldus the Younger
French Humanism and the Aldine Press
Muret, Marc Antoine.
Orationes XXIII. Venice: Aldus the Younger, 1575.
The French humanist Marc Antoine Muret (1526–1585) was a scholar of and commentator on Cicero, and as such naturally attracted the attention of Paulus Manutius and his son Aldus the Younger. Muret’s commentaries accompanied Aldine publications of the works of Terence, Horace, and Catullus, and this publication of his own orations served as a model of rhetorical elegance for students well into the 18th century.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
Paulli F. Aldi N.
Manutius, Aldus the Younger.
De Quaesitis per Epistolam Libri III. Aldi Manutii Paulli F. Aldi N. Venice: [Aldus the Younger], 1576.
It could not have been easy to be the son of the esteemed Cicero scholar Paulus Manutius, and the grandson of the great Aldus Manutius, much less his namesake. Yet Aldus the Younger was a scholar in his own right, ostensibly authoring a book on linguistics at the age of eleven. The titlepage of this work on various questions of antiquity shows that Aldus the Younger was eager to remain in the apostolic succession, so to speak, of his ancestors. The titlepage bears a woodcut image of Aldus the Elder, while Aldus the Younger proudly styles himself as “Paulii. F[ilius]. Aldi. N[epos]” (the son of Paulus and grandson of Aldus). Previously owned by the diarist John Evelyn (1620–1706).
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
Dad’s Letters
Manutius, Paulus.
Epistolarum Paulli Manutii Libri XII … Venice: Aldus the Younger, 1580.
Paulus Manutius corresponded with the leading humanists of his day, and collections of his correspondence were printed as early as 1558. This new edition, printed by his son Aldus the Younger, completes the collection and includes various prefaces and dedications from his father’s years at the helm of the Aldine Press. The woodcut titlepage contains a small vignette of Paulus Manutius.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
The Life of Cosimo de’ Medici
Manutius, Aldus the Younger.
Vita di Cosimo de’ Medici, Primo Gran Duca di Toscana. Bologna: Aldus the Younger, after 25 March 1586.
In the mid-1580s Aldus the Younger held the chair of rhetoric at the University of Bologna, and actively sought to relocate the operations of the Aldine Press to Bologna. This biography of Cosimo de’ Medici (1389–1464) may have been designed to demonstrate his publishing skills and encourage official approval of such a move. The preface is dedicated to Philip II of Spain, and the engraved titlepage incorporates the Medici arms at the foot. The press never moved, and would cease operating at the death of Aldus the Younger in 1597.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
A Knighthood for Paulus
Brancaccio, Lelio.
Della Nuova Disciplina & Vera Arte Militare del Brancatio Libri VIII. Venice: Aldus the Younger, 1585.
Drawing heavily on the works of Caesar, Lelio Brancaccio (1560–1637) is the author or this treatise on offensive and defensive military strategy. In April 1571, in recognition of his services to Rome, Emperor Maximilian II bestowed upon Paulus Manutius a knighthood of the Holy Roman Empire, and granted him a charge of arms that incorporated the Aldine dolphin and anchor device. Aldus the Younger continued to use this device on occasion, embellishing it here with a border of cherubs and, appropriately, books.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
With a Woodcut Image of Aldus Manutius
Cicero.
In M. Tullii Ciceronis Libri Tres A. Mannuccii, Paulli F. Aldi N. Commentarius. Venice: Georgio Angeleri for Aldus Manutius the Younger, 1581.
This is one volume of a ten-volume production of Cicero issued by Aldus the Younger from 1578 to 1592. Each volume carries a woodcut vignette of Aldus the Elder on the titlepage.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
The Ancient History of Augsburg
Markus Welser.
Marci Velseri Matthaei F. Ant. N. Patricii. Aug. Vind. Rerum Augusta Nar. Vindelicar. Libri Octo. Venice: [Aldus the Younger], 1594.
A history of the ancient Roman province of Vindelicia, which covered an area stretching from modern-day northern Switzerland to southern Germany. Its ancient capital of Augusta Vindelicorum became Augsburg. Markus Welser (1558–1614) was a member of a prominent and long-standing Augsburg family, and a correspondent of Galileo, Scaliger, Isaac Casaubon, and other humanists. He underwrote the costs of this book, one of the last publications of the Aldine Press. Displayed is a double page copperplate map of the Roman province of Vindelicia.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
A Suppressed Bible
Biblia Sacra Vulgatae Editionis Tribus Tomis Distincta. Rome: [Aldus Manutius the Younger for] Typographia Apostolica Vaticana, 1590.
Pope Sixtus V commissioned Aldus the Younger to print a new edition of the Vulgate at the Typographia Apostolica, a Vatican press specifically established to print this edition. The publication was, unfortunately, fraught with textual errors. Aldus attempted to correct those errors by printing and pasting corrections on small slips of paper (see the word “circuitu” in line 16 of the first column). Sixtus V died in August 1590, and his successor, Urban VII, died within days of his election. Gregory XIV, elected pope in December 1590, suppressed this edition on account of its inaccuracies.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
Magic Spells
Leonardo Vairo.
De Fascino Libri Tres. Venice: Aldus the Younger, 1589.
These Three Books on Charms consider the power and activity of demons and witches, followed by a variety of magic spells, incantations, and amulets to ward off those evil influences. Leonardo Vairo (1523–1603) was the Bishop of Pozzuoli. A priced list of Aldine imprints for sale is included at the end of the volume.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
On Witchcraft
Bodin, Jean.
Demonomani de gli Stregoni, cioè Furori, et Malie de’ Demoni, col Mezo de gl’ Huomini … Venice: Aldus the Younger, 1592.
Jean Bodin (1530–1596), a professor of law at Toulouse, wrote this survey on the dangers of witchcraft as a practical guide for judges and jurists hearing cases that involved suspected witches. Ten editions were published between 1580 and 1604. A catalogue of Aldine imprints for sale follows the table of contents.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
Aristotle in Sicily
Gozzi, Niccolò Vito di.
Dello Stato delle Republiche Secondo la Mente di Aristotele con Esempli Moderni. Venice: Aldus the Younger, 1591.
Gozzi (1549–1610) was a classicist as well as the owner of a fine library, and sought to apply the teachings of Aristotle in particular to the local politics in his native city of Ragusa in Sicily. The book is dedicated to Pope Gregory XIV, and ends with two pages of Aldine imprints for sale.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
With an Engraved Image of Paulus Manutius
Cicero.
In Epistolas M. Tullii Ciceronis quae Familiares Vocantur Paulli Manutii Commentarius. Venice: Aldus the Younger, 1579.
Aldus the Younger shared his father’s fondness of Cicero, and the press continued to print multiple editions of Cicero throughout Aldus the Younger’s management. This edition carries an engraved image of Paulus Manutius on the verso of the titlepage.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.
Selling the Books
Cicero.
In Epistolas M. Tullii Ciceronis quae Familiares Vocantur Paulli Manutii Commentarius. Venice: Aldus the Younger, 1592.
Aldus the Elder printed broadside catalogues of books for sale in 1498, 1503, and 1513, and his heirs published a fourth catalogue around 1527. When Aldus the Younger revived the practice in the 1580s, he did so by printing the catalogues as part of regular publications. These later catalogues listed books as old as the 1525 Galen, and are the first instance of publishers’ catalogues being included in their own publications.
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.