7 Printing in Greek before Aldus Manutius
abstract
The present paper examines the history, circulation and use of the earliest Greek books ever printed (1471-1488). In particular, it focuses on the publishing enterprises of Bonus Accursius in Milan, who issued the first complete set of books to learn Greek, and of Laonicus & Alexander, the first Greeks to actively engage with the art of printing, who operated out of Venice but clearly had a double readership in mind: Westerners and, for the first time, the Greek communities of Venice and elsewhere.
Keywords: Constantinus Lascaris • Laonicus & Alexander • Emanuel Chrysoloras • Johannes Crastonus • Incunabula • Bonus Accursius • Aesopus • Aldus Manutius • Laonicus & Alexander • Psalterium • Early Greek printing • Erotemata