The Manutii as Authors

All three generations of Manutius printers contributed to the wide reputation of the press, recognizable among other things for its quality of scholarship and its excellence in typography. This family of scholar-printers not only published the works of others, however: they also contributed original scholarship themselves.

Although the elder Aldus wrote only a few treatises, those which he did write were close to his heart. As a natural extension of his desire to teach others, Aldus produced his own instructional grammar, written to provide simple and correct instruction for young students learning Latin (no. 54).

Paulus Manutius was only two years old when his father died, and he was left to the care of Andrea Torresani, his maternal grandfather and the business associate of his father. Paulus applied himself diligently and at the age of twenty-one had already established for himself a solid reputation for scholarship and learning. Those of his works exhibited here (nos. 55-57) reflect his prominence as a Ciceronian scholar, his acclaimed letter writing abilities, and his interest in Roman antiquities.

Paulus left his business to his son, Aldus Manutius the Younger. From an early age (and probably with some help from his father) Aldus the Younger enjoyed fame as a precocious author; some of his works are exhibited here (nos. 58-60). In addition to managing the operations of the press and authoring works of his own, Aldus the Younger also held several lectureships in northern Italian cities.

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