MANUTIUS

An Italian family that distinguished itself in early printing and publishing. Aldus Manutius (also known as Teobaldo Manucci; Aldo Manuzio); b. Bassiano, 1450;d. Venice, Feb. 6, 1515. He was a Venetian publisher, noted for well-edited versions of Greek and Latin classics, especially the five-volume folio edition of Aristotle (1495–98) and a total of 28 editiones principes, or first printed editions of MSS. His development of an italic type, designed by Francesco Griffo, made possible and popular small octavo volumes, often produced in editions of 1,000 copies. The Aldine Hypernotomachia Poliphili (1499), by Francesco Colonna, is considered the best example of a 15th-century printed illustrated book. Aldus's printer's mark, a dolphin entwined around an anchor, became identified with high-quality printing. The establishment at his home of an academy of scholars, such as erasmus and Marcus Musurus, helped make Venice a center of classical culture.

Paulus Manutius, Aldus's son; b. Venice, June 12, 1512; d. Rome, April 16, 1574. Following an interim during which Andreas Torresanus was in charge of Aldus's enterprises, Paulus continued the tradition, especially in the printing of Cicero's works. In 1561 he was invited to Rome by Pius IV to establish a press to publish the Church Fathers for apologetic use against the Protestant reformers. Under Pius V (1566–72), he published the Canones et Decreta of the Council of Trent and similar works.

Aldus the Second, son of Paulus; b. Venice, Feb. 13, 1547; d. Rome, Oct. 28, 1597. Under Clement VIII he was appointed director of the Vatican press in 1590. The history of the Manutius family as printers terminated with his death.

Bibliography: h. r. brown, The Venetian Printing Press (London 1891). a. a. renouard, A Bibliographical Sketch of the Aldine Press at Venice … translated and abridged from Annales de l'Imprimerie des Aldes, ed. e. m. goldsmid (Edinburgh 1887). j. e. sandys, A History of Classical Scholarship (New York 1958) 2:98–101.

[e. p. willging]