Niccolò di Lorenzo della Magna and the Social World of Florentine Printing, ca. 1470–1493 (I Tatti Studies in Italian Renaissance History)

**A new history of one of the foremost printers of the Renaissance explores how the Age of Print came to Italy.** Lorenz Böninger offers a fresh history of the birth of print in Italy through the story of one of its most important figures, Niccolò di Lorenzo della Magna. After having worked for several years for a judicial court in Florence, Niccolò established his business there and published a number of influential books. Among these were Marsilio Ficino’s __De christiana religione__, Leon Battista Alberti’s __De re aedificatoria__, Cristoforo Landino’s commentaries on Dante’s __Commedia__, and Francesco Berlinghieri’s __Septe giornate della geographia__. Many of these books were printed in vernacular Italian. Despite his prominence, Niccolò has remained an enigma. A meticulous historical detective, Böninger pieces together the thorough portrait that scholars have been missing. In doing so, he illuminates not only Niccolò’s life but also the Italian printing revolution generally. Combining Renaissance studies’ traditional attention to bibliographic and textual concerns with a broader social and economic history of printing in Renaissance Italy, Böninger provides an unparalleled view of the business of printing in its earliest years. The story of Niccolò di Lorenzo furnishes a host of new insights into the legal issues that printers confronted, the working conditions in printshops, and the political forces that both encouraged and constrained the publication and dissemination of texts. Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Introduction I. THE INTRODUCTION OF PRINTING IN FLORENCE 1. Bernardo Cennini and His Family Enterprise, 1471–1472 2. Giorgio di Niccolò Baldesi, Giovanni di Piero da Magonza, and Partners, 1470–1473 3. Wool Trade and Printing II. NICCOLÒ DI LORENZO DELLA MAGNA’S FIRST YEARS OF ACTIVITY 4. In the Service of the Mercanzia, 1464–1475 5. The Collaboration with Giovanni di Piero da Magonza, and Marsilio Ficino’s De Christiana religione, ca. 1474–1476 6. Cappone Capponi and His Circle, 1475–1480 7. Printing for the Convent of Santo Spirito, ca. 1476–1477 8. Institutional and Private Commissions, ca. 1476–1480 9. The End of the Company, 1480–1482 III. AT THE PEAK OF NICCOLÒ DI LORENZO’S CAREER 10. A Work Proposal for the Ripoli Press, 11 November 1480 11. Cristoforo Landino’s Commented Edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy (1481) 12. From Cristoforo Landino’s Disputationes camaldulenses (1480?) to Francesco Berlinghieri’s Geographia (1481–1482) 13. From Niccolò Perotti’s Rudimenta grammatices (1483) to Saint Gregory’s Morali (1483–1486) 14. Baptista Siculus and Leon Battista Alberti’s De re aedificatoria (1485) Epilogue Abbreviations Appendix A. Books Printed by Niccolò Di Lorenzo Della Magna or Attributed to His Press Appendix B. Documents Notes Bibliography Index "Lorenz Böninger tells the story of Niccolò di Lorenzo della Magna, a major printer of Renaissance Italy. Niccolò's hitherto mysterious life and career provide unparalleled insight into the business of printing in its earliest years, illuminating the economic, legal, and intellectual forces that surrounded the publication and dissemination of texts"-- Provided by publisher Lorenz Boeninger tells the story of Niccolo di Lorenzo della Magna, a major printer of Renaissance Italy. Niccolo's hitherto mysterious life and career provide unparalleled insight into the business of printing in its earliest years, illuminating the economic, legal, and intellectual forces that surrounded the publication and dissemination of texts.