HISTORY AND PRESERVATION OF BOOKS

The course aims to provide students with the basic notions relating to the production, circulation and conservation of printed books from the 15th to the first half of the 19th century, with attention to the transition from manuscript to typographic production between the 15th and 16th centuries. 

It also aims to provide a historical framework of reference relating, in particular, to two areas: the history of Sicilian printing press between the 15th and 18th centuries, in the context of the broader Italian printing press.

By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the issues relating to the rare books: production, circulation and conservation of bibliographical materials; they will also be able to describe a rare book and to navigate library collections, and they will also have acquired skills relating to bibliographic research.

Students will be able to evaluate the management methods of an early book collection, assess the state of preservation and identify actions for its enhancement; they also will be able to communicate with an audience of professionals and non-professionals about the themes of historical library collections and individual printed books, thereby working in the field of heritage education, cultural events, technical surveys and research.

Students will be able to operate independently and critically in their professional environments, applying and adapting skills acquired during the course; they will be able to utilize modern technologies, traditional and digital bibliographic sources, to illustrate issues related to book heritage, identifying problems and solution within various contexts.

Traditional lectures and lectures in historical libraries and in a paper mill.

No prerequisites required.

Attendance is not compulsory.

A (6 cfu)

Libraries and rare books. Book materiasl from manuscript to printed book: incunabula, 15^th century books, rare books up to 1830. Bibliographic description standards, catalogues and repertoires of rare books, national and international online projects for book heritage census and valorization. Editions and copies: writing on books. Bookbinding.

 

Case studies: 1) Incunabula at Montecassino Abbey: Census, Description, Conservation and Cigitization. 2) Dawn of the Press in Sicily (Palermo and Messina): Census of Editions and Copies. 3) The Printing Press in Catania in the 18^th century: the printer Simone Trento.

 

B (3 cfu)

Principles of Book Preservation.

A (6 cfu)

- Lorenzo Baldacchini, Il libro antico. Storia, diffusione e descrizione (III ed.), Roma, Carocci, 2019 (250 p.)

- Giancarlo Petrella, Scrivere sui libri. Breve guida al libro a stampa postillato, Roma, Salerno ed., 2022 (150 p.)

- Incunaboli a Montecassino, Roma, Viella 2026 (pp. 3-61 and 3 student-chosen incunabula descriptions).

- Simona Inserra, Produzione, circolazione e diffusione delle edizioni siciliane del XV secolo: esemplari in carta ‘ad stampam, ligati et sdilligati’, miniati, «Rivista di storia della miniatura», 29 (2025), pp. 168-176.

- Piero Scapecchi, Incunabolo, nuova ed. aggiornata, Roma. AIB, 2019, pp. 70.

B (3 cfu)

-                Simona Inserra, Conservazione, Roma, AIB, 2018, (50 p.).

Principi dell’IFLA per la cura e il trattamento dei materiali librari, a cura di Edward P. Adcock, Roma, AIB, 2005 (200 p.).

-                Dalla tutela al restauro del patrimonio libraio e archivistico. Storia, esperienze, interdisciplinarietà, a cura di Melania Zanetti, Venezia, Edizioni Ca’ Foscari, 2018 (the student will choose two essays) (pp. 30 ca).

 

Further in-depht materials discussed during the lessons, and relating to the two parts A and B, will be made available on Studium.

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

The teachers undertake, within the limits of the financial resources, to ensure as far as possible that a copy of the adopted texts is available in the departmental library or (in the case of hard-to-find texts, articles and essays) to make them available on Studium, in accordance with the applicable copyright laws.