Cotton Mills and Collectors: Manutius in Manchester
Our new exhibition celebrates the legacy of Aldus Manutius (1449 – 1515), an Italian humanist scholar who founded the Aldine Press at Venice.
His publishing legacy includes scholarly editions of classical authors, the introduction of italic type, and the development of books in small formats that were read much like modern paperbacks.
The John Rylands Library holds one of the largest collections of Aldine editions in the world. Many of these come from the Spencer library, purchased by Mrs Rylands in 1892.
However there are also other local collectors, such as Richard Copley Christie and David Lloyd Roberts, who contribute to the story of how this impressive collection found its way to the industrial heartlands of nineteenth century Manchester and how its citizens looked to Italy, and Venice in particular, for inspiration.
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John Rylands Research Institute and Library
150 Deansgate
Manchester
Gtr Manchester
