Sixteenth and seventeenth century printing houses A SELECTION FROM ST HUGH'S RARE BOOKS COLLECTION

The sixteenth century witnessed an extreme surge in book production, introducing some of the most celebrated works and printing houses of our time. The printing of books allowed greater access to the works and commentaries of scholars of the Middle Ages, whilst vernacular literature – language spoken by those of a specific country – was also revitalised, with works modernised by translations into modern prose, though Latin remained the principal language.

During this time, hundreds of printers were trading across Europe, yet what made a printing firm particularly successful was a keen eye for current social and cultural trends, consistent levels of high-quality book production, and an astute sense for business and trade.

If the book trade soared during the sixteenth century, the rate at which it expanded in the seventeenth century is unparalleled. Literacy levels were sharply on the rise, so the production of printed works rose rapidly to satisfy the needs of a demanding reading public, with more diversification in the titles available to include novels and more general works.

During the seventeenth century, the Low Countries dominated much of the international book trade, though Paris was a close contender. Paris continued to be the leading centre for book trade in France, as in 1620 Louis XIII set up a private press in the Louvre, the Imprimerie Royale, that helped maintain high standards of printing.

Johannes Froben, one of Basel’s most famous scholar-printers, produced this third edition of Utopia in 1518. Froben popularised the roman type, produced small, cheap books and employed highly talented artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger to illustrate his works. Froben was also a close friend of the great Renaissance scholar Erasmus, who recommended he produce this edition.

The woodcut illustration map of Utopia displayed here was produced by Ambrosius Holbein, brother to Hans Holbein. It sits next to the 22-letter Utopian alphabet, with letters based on the shapes of the circle, square, and triangle.

This 1527 English translation of Liber de arte distillandi de simplicibus, first produced in 1500, was written by German surgeon, alchemist and botanist Hieronymus Brunschwig. This was the earliest printed book to discuss and illustrate the techniques of distillation from herbal and animal substances, and, as one of the last fifteenth century herbal books, serves as a notable link between the Middle Ages and early modern notions of medicine.

Laurence Andrew translated and printed this edition in 1527. He was originally from Calais, yet from around 1520, he worked in Antwerp, translating books out of Dutch into English. He then came to London in 1527 where he set up press at 'the sign of the Golden Cross' by Fleet Bridge, translating and printing many scientific and encyclopaedic works.

Perhaps one of the greatest and most influential creations of the Aldine Press was the printing of books in the small octavo size. These portable books are the ancestors of our modern pocket-sized books and paperbacks today, and paved the way for more personal, intimate forms of reading.

The work has a vellum binding, a parchment mostly made from calfskin, though some were made from sheepskin or goatskin. Vellum was extremely popular at the time for its durability as a binding material, and also as a writing surface for important or official documents.

This edition was produced in Siena, Italy in 1613 by printer and publisher Matteo Florimi. Florimi was born in Calabria circa 1540, and relocated to Siena around 1581 where he established a reputable workshop in Banchi, known especially for the production of allegorical prints, floral prints and maps.

The woodcuts displayed here are visual representations of ‘Filosofia’ and ‘Flagello di Dio’. ‘Filosofia’ (Philosophy) is depicted as a woman standing tall, with books in her right hand and a royal sceptre in her left. ‘Flagello di Dio’ (Scourge of God) holds a whip in his right hand and a thunderbolt in his left. The sky above is stormy, and there are locusts at his feet.

Hermann Mylius produced the work in 1613. He was successor to the German Birckmann Press, a successful printing business initially founded by brothers Franz and Arnold Birckmann in Cologne in the early sixteenth century. The firm continued to operate for around 300 years, with branches in Cologne, Paris, Antwerp and London, and it played a significant role in supplying the English market with biblical works.

French printer-bookseller and printer to the King, Frédéric Léonard, who operated in Paris in the building known today as The Royal Music Printing House, produced the work in 1688. For his printer’s device, Frédéric Léonard used the image of the winged Lion, also known as the Lion of Saint Mark, which represents Mark the Evangelist. The Lion holds a Bible inscribed with the Latin phrase ‘Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus’, which means ‘Peace unto you, Mark, my Evangelist’. Overhead is the phrase ‘Virtute Invidiam Vince’, meaning ‘virtue overcomes envy’.

The rising quantity of titles and print runs at this time made it extremely difficult for authorities to monitor the production of all books, however, and censoring such items only promoted the rise of printers operating in liberal countries such as Switzerland or the Netherlands. Restricting the publication of certain works only made them more desirable and thus more likely to sell, so in response to this, many printing houses began to produce illicit and seditious works and reaped the financial benefits of such a trade.

One way in which printers and booksellers evaded authorities when producing such works was to hide their identity or location by using a false imprint. This means that the information within the book, such as its original place of production, the name of the printer or publisher, and the date published, would often be deliberately falsified or inaccurate. Printers also borrowed or invented a printer’s device to feature on the title page, thus making the actual printer untraceable.

This volume includes the works of French poet Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas. The second part contains La Sepmaine, ou, Creation du monde (‘The week, or creation of the world’), a poem which recounts each of the seven days of the world’s creation, describing in detail the aspects created on each day and celebrating the overall beauty of such creations. The work was initially successful in France and in England, and translated into many languages throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

According to the imprint statement on the title page, printer Pierre Retif produced this work in in Rouen, France, 1591. However, in Booksellers and Printers in Provincial France 1470–1600, this name appears in the 'Index of Booksellers and Printers Falsely Indicated as being active in Provincial France during the Sixteenth Century', where it is identified as being a fictitious printer’s name. The name is known only to have been used for editions of the works of Du Bartas over two years, whilst, it is claimed, the printer’s mark bears the hallmarks of Lyonese or Genevan printing. Furthermore, as the other known editions from that time were printed in La Rochelle or Geneva, it is believed to be unlikely that Rouen was the origin of printing for this imprint.

The image of the armillary sphere as the printer’s device also came to be synonymous with such works, and its appearance on the title pages of early modern books often (though not always) infers an illicit publication history or subject matter.