Collecting the Renaissance: the Aldine Press 1494–1598, The British Library, Treasures Gallery, October 31, 2014–January 25, 2015

In the 1490s the still new-fangled business of printing and publishing was revolutionised by Aldus Manutius (1451–1515), whose family-run press changed the way books were edited, marketed and read. Marking the 500th anniversary of his death, this small display includes some of the most remarkable and beautiful copies in the British Library’s extensive Aldine collection and shows how his editions were avidly sought after and prized by readers, scholars and book collectors down the centuries.

For an overview of Aldus’s role in the publication of Greek texts, check out the December 23 Medieval manuscripts post, Between Manuscript and Print: Greek Manuscripts from the Circle of Aldus Manutius.