Epistolarum [...] libri V. Quincto nuper addito. Eiusdem quae præfationes appellantur

Autore: MANUZIO, Paolo (1512-1574)

Tipografo: [Paolo Manuzio]

Dati tipografici: Venezia, 1561


8vo. (8), 237, (3) leaves (with errors in the foliation, leaf 184 is a blank). A-Z8, AA-HH8. With the printer's device on the title-page and at the end. Nineteenth century half-calf, gilt back with green morocco label, contemporary entry of ownership “Hieronymi Agnelli”, who may be the Venetian stationer Girolamo Agnelli, mentioned by M. Bury, The Print in Italy, 1550-1620, (London, 2001), p. 124.

Edit 16, CNCE 28076; E. Pastorello, L'epistolario Manuziano. Inventario cronologico-analitico, 1483-1597, (Firenze, 1957), p. 14, no. 248; A. Renouard, Annali delle edizioni aldine, (Paris, 1834), p. 184, no. 19.

 

FIRST EDITION in five books. The volume opens with the same dedication to Alberico Cibo (Venice, 1558) of the first Accademia Veneta edition of 1558. The fourth book was added for the first time in 1560.

 

(To Liber I was added 1 new letter:)

Lippomanno, Girolamo. [Venezia, Winter, 1560] (l. 27v)

 

(To Liber II were added 6 new letters:)

Stella, Fabio. [Venezia, 1558] (l. 44v)

Stella, Vincenzo. Asola, [October, 1557] (l. 47r)

Sturm, Johannes. [Venezia, Fall?, 1556] (l. 49v)

Caro, Annibal. Venezia, [Winter, 1540] (l. 60r)

id. [July 1540] (l. 60v)

id. Venezia, [August, 1540] (l. 61r)

 

(To Liber III were added 6 new letters:)

Muret, Marc'Antoine. Venezia, [July 19, 1559] (l. 81r)

Natta, Marco Antonio. [Venezia, November 20 p., 1558] (l. 90r)

id. [Venezia, May 12 a., 1558] (l. 9lr)

id. [Venezia, January 10 p., 1559] (l. 92r)

id. [Venezia, December 13 p., 1558] (l. 92v)

id. [Venezia, April 4, 1559] (l. 93r)

 

(Liber IV:)

Torre, Michele della. Venezia, [September 21 p., 1559] (l. 94r)

Veranzio, Antonio. Venezia [January 12 a., 1559] (l. 95v)

Zebridowski, Andreas. Venezia, [Fall, 1559] (l. 97r)

Mijszkowski, Petrus. [Venezia, Spring, 1559] (l. 97v)

Pinelli, Gian Vincenzo. Venezia, [Summer, 1559] (l. 100r)

Panciroli, Guido. Venezia, [Fall?, 1559] (l. 102v)

Dudith, Andreas. [Venezia, January 12 a., 1559] (l. 102v)

id. (l.104r)

id. [Venezia, March 10 a., 1559] (l. 104v)

id. [Venezia, Fall, 1559] (l. 105r)

id. [Venezia, August 18 a., 1559] (l. 105v)

id. Venezia, [Fall, 1559] (l. 105v)

id. Venezia, [Summer, 1559] (l. 106r)

id. Venezia, [August 18 a., 1559] (l. 106v)

id. Venezia, [August 18 p., 1559] (l. 107r)

id. Venezia, [January 12 a., 1559] (l. 108r)

id. Venezia, [Summer, 1559] (l. 109r)

id. Venezia, [Summer, 1559] (l. 109v)

Patricki, Andreas. [Venezia, March 10 a., 1559] (l. 121v)

id. [Venezia, August 18 a., 1559] (l. 122r)

Cousin, Gilbert. [Venezia, Spring, 1559] (l. 123r)

Lambin, Denis. [Venezia, Winter 1558/9] (l. 124r)

Petro * [Zane, Bernardo. Venezia, April 26, 1553] (l. 124v)

Cervini, Romolo. [Venezia, June 25, 1541] (l. 125r)

Giliano, Vincenzo. [Venezia, February 22 p., 1559] (l. 126v)

Morandi, Francesco. [Venezia, Fall, 1559] (l. 127v)

Torrentius [Van der Becke], Levinus. Venezia, [Summer, 1559] (l. 128r)

Gambara, Lorenzo. Venezia, [1558 p.] (l. 129r)

Nathanael, Nicholas. [Venezia, Fall?, 1560] (l. 129v)

n.r. [Padova, Winter?, 1559] (l. 130v)

id. Venezia, [July 24 a., 1559] (l. 131v)

Severi, Francesco. Venezia, [July 19 p., 1559] (l. 132r)

Corrado, Mario. [Venezia, end of February, 1559] (l. 133v)

Celsi, Pietro. [Venezia, 1559/60] (l. 134r)

Sambucus, Joannes [Zsámboky, János]. [Venezia, June 30 p., 1556] (l. 135r)

id. Venezia, [September 21 p., 1559] (l 135v)

Contarini, Gaspare. Venezia, [Fall, 1539], (l. 137r)

Accolti, Benedetto. Venezia, [Summer, 1539] (l. 138r)

id. Venezia, [August p., 1540] (l. 139r)

id. Venezia, [1540] (l. 139v)

Griffoli, Iacopo. Venezia, [Fall, 1539] (l. 139v)

Cruceio, Annibale. Venezia, [July 9 a., 1555] (l. 141v)

Merlo, Antonio. Venezia, [February p., 1535] (l. 142v)

Sophianos, Michael. Venezia, [Fall, 1559] (l. 143r)

Pigna, Giovanni Battista. Venezia, [October 3 p., 1559] (l. 144r)

Sambucus, Joannes [Zsámboky, János]. Venezia, [early 1560] (l. 145v)

Dudith, Andreas. Venezia, [1560] (l. 146v)

Gambara, Lorenzo. Padova, [April-May, 1560] (l. 147r)

Bonamico, Lazaro. Venezia, [end 1533] (l. 148r)

Pacci, Guglielmo. Venezia, June 12, 1533 (l. 148v)

Magnulo, Paolo. Venezia, [November 19 p., 1533] (l. 149r)

id. [Venezia, November 19 p., 1533] (l. 149v)

id. [Venezia, November 19 p., 1533] (l. 150r)

Leoni, Sebastiano. [Venezia, Fall?, 1559] (l. 151r)

Aldobradini, Silvestro. [Firenze, July 30, 1541] (l. 151v)

 

(Liber V:)

Pius IV. [Venezia, December 25 p., 1559] (l. 153r)

Paleotti, Camillo. Venezia, [February 22 p., 1559], (l. 155r)

Ferrario, Ottaviano. Venezia, [September 21 p., 1559] (l. 156v)

Torrentius [Van der Becke], Levinus. Venezia, [Spring, 1560] (l. 157r)

Mijszkowski, Petrus. Venezia, [Winter?, 1560] (l. 158r)

Patricki, Andreas. Venezia (l. 159r)

Fogelvetrius, Stanislaus. Venezia, [December 21 p., 1560] (l. 159v)

Lambin, Denis. Venezia, [June 22, 1560] (l.160r)

Pogiano, Giulio. Venezia, [early 1560] (l. 161v)

Orsini, Orazio. Venezia, [Fall, 1560] (l. 163r)

Ferrario, Ottaviano. Venezia, [July 15 a., 1560] (l. 164r)

id. Venezia, [early Summer, 1560] (l. 165r)

Turroneo, Giovanni Antonio. Venezia, [September?, 1560] (l. 165v)

Gallo, Federico, Venezia, [Spring, 1560?] (l. 167v)

Ferrario, Ottavio. Padova, [April/May, 1560] (l. 168v)

Rasario, Giovanni Battista. Padova, [April/May, 1560] (l. 169v)

Rolando, Antonio. Venezia, [Spring?, 1560] (l. 170v)

Sigonio, Carlo. Venezia, [May 13 p., 1560] (l. 172v)

Muret, Marc-Antoine. Venezia, [Spring?, 1561] (l. 173v)

Capilupi, Ippolito. Venezia, [January 21 p., 1560] (l. 174v)

Van Ellebode, Nicasius. Venezia, [first half of 1561] (l. 175r)

Bellogradus, Giulio. [1561?] (l. 176r)

Seripando, Girolamo. Venezia, [March 1, 1561] (l. 176v)

Este, Luigi, d'. Venezia, [January 31 p., 1561] (l. 177v)

Seracio, Giovanni Battista. Venezia, [first half of 1561] (l. 178r)

Sacrato, Paolo. Venezia, [first half of 1561] (l. 179r)

Robortello, Francesco. [March 25 p., 1561] (l. 180v)

Crispo, Alessandro. Venezia, [first half of 1561] (l. 181v)

n.r. [1561?] (l. 182r)

 

(Praefationes:)

Garlón, Antonio. Venezia, 1535 (l. 236r; this dedicatory letter was not present in the first edition of 1558, but was first printed in the edition of 1560)

 

Paolo was the youngest son of Aldo Manuzio the Elder. He had the misfortune to lose his father at the age of two. After this event his grandfather and two uncles, the three Asolani, carried on the Aldine Press, while Paolo prosecuted his early studies at Venice. Excessive application hurt his health, which remained weak during the rest of his life. At the age of twenty-one he had acquired a solid reputation for scholarship and learning.

In 1533 Paolo undertook the conduct of his father's business, which has latterly been much neglected by his uncles. Paolo determined to restore the glories of the house, and in 1540 he separated from his uncles. The field of Greek literature having been well night exhausted, he devoted himself principally to the Latin classics. He was a passionate Ciceronian, and perhaps his chief contributions to scholarship are the corrected editions of Cicero's letters and orations, his own epistles in a Ciceronian style, and his Latin version of Demosthenes. Throughout his life he combined the occupations of a scholar and a printer, winning an even higher celebrity in the former field than his father had done. Four treatises from his pen on Roman antiquities deserve to be commemorated for their erudition no less than for the elegance of their Latinity.

Several Italian cities contended for the possession of so rare a man. He also received tempting offers from the Spanish court. Although his publications were highly esteemed, their sale was slow. Thus his life was a permanent struggle with pecuniary difficulties. In 1556 he received for a time external support from the Accademia Veneta, founded by Federico Badoer, who failed disgracefully in 1559, and the academy was extinct in 1562. Meanwhile Paolo had established his brother Antonio, a man of good parts but indifferent conduct, in a printing office and book shop at Bologna. Antonio died in 1559, having been a source of trouble and expense to Paolo during the last four years of his life. Other pecuniary embarrassment arose from a contract for supplying fish to Venice, into which Paolo had somewhat strangely entered with the government.

In 1561 Pius IV invited him to Rome, offering him a yearly stipend of 500 ducats, and undertaking to establish and maintain his press there. The profits were to be divided between Paolo Manuzio and the Apostolic Camera. Paolo accepted the invitation, and spent the larger portion of his life, under three papacies, with various fortunes in the city of Rome. The works published by the Stamperia del Popolo Romano were mostly Latin works of theology and Biblical or patristic literature. Meanwhile his eldest son, the younger Aldo, had succeeded him in the management of the Venetian printing house. Overtaxed with studies and commercial worries Paolo died at Rome in his sixty-second year (cf. T. Sterza, Paolo Manuzio editore a Venezia (1533-1561), in: “ACME. Annali della Facoltà di lettere e filosofia dell'Università degli studi di Milano”, 61/2, 2008, pp. 123-168; and F. Barberi, Paolo Manuzio e la stamperia del popolo romano (1561-1570): con documenti inediti, Roma, 1942, passim).


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