Johannes Knoops Publishes a Book on a Historic Venetian Mystery

A project begun with funds from a faculty development grant, research done by Johannes Knoops, Interior Design, about a historic printing press in Venice has been made into a book, published by Damocle Edizioni. The book, titled In Search of Aldus Pius Manutius a campo Sant’Agostin, is a limited edition with 200 numbered copies. It is also available digitally on Issuu.com (see below).

His analysis of various historical maps and a digital reconstruction of the Campo San Augustino in the 16th century now clarify a misunderstood context. Currently two stone plaques commemorate an elegant building near the campo Sant’Agostin as the site of a printing press begun by Aldus Pius Manutius, father of the modern paperback and creator of italicized type. In Search of Aldus examines the evidence and disputes this attribution. Knoops provides historical data to clearly locate it near a bakery on the calle del Pistor, a bakery and street that still exist today.

In Search of Aldus outlines this 200-year-old debate, while noting how Venetian historians Carlo Castellani and Giuseppe Tassini first contested the stone plaques back in the 19th century. By providing additional evidence, Knoops’ book firmly establishes the true location of the Aldine Press.

For more information, contact Knoops, (212) 217-5585.

Related Posts