Μὴν Ἀπριλλίος … — Venice 1592

Μὴν Ἀπριλλίος … — ἐτυπώθη ἐν βενετίαις, παρὰ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Ἀλιπρανδου. ὅς ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ χαρακτῆρος, τῆ ἰδίου γράμματος τῶν σπινελων … αφσβ.

(Colophon:) ἐτυπώθη ἐν βενετίαις, παρὰ Φραγγίσκῳ τῶν Ἰουλιανῶν. 

(Venice, Francesco Giuliani for Giovanni Aliprandi, 1592).

 

Folio (281 x 192 mm). α-η⁸ θ¹⁰: (66) leaves.

Woodcut titel-border (Layton fig. 167), full-page woodcut (crucifixion) on verso of title, head-piece on α2 (Layton fig. 79). Printer’s mark of Andrea Spinelli (see below) on last leaf. Printed in red & black.

Contemporary dark-brown blindstamped calf, heavily worn.

Crude paper repairs to the margins of the last three leaves with loss of text. 

A number of spots and watermargins.

Papadopoulos, Ελλενικη Βιβλιογραφια, II/1 295a and II/2 3945; Legrand IV 314  („Rarissime“); Layton p. 152, 270, 294. The online catalogue of the Benaki Museum knows three copies only; one in Sofia (Narodna Biblioteka «Κyril i Μetodij»), two at Mount Athos (Μονὴ Καρακάλλου, Μονὴ Ἁγίου Διονυσίου).

Printer:

The printer „Francesco Giuliani was also known in Venetian printing circles as Francesco da Padenghe, or Padenghi. Francesco’s name appears for the first time in the sources when he and his son, Baldissera, were hired as journeyman printers on 27 January 1584 by a newly established firm consisting of the publisher Giacomo Leoncini, the notary Antonio Gemelli, and the brothers Angelo and Giambattistat Zaguri … The purpose of the newly created company was to bring out a spicific number of Greek liturgical books … The form was to last only three years, and its sole purpose was to print the books specified in the agreement. According to the sources, the firm engaged the services of two printers, father and son, called Francesco and Baldissera Padenghi, who were to print the above-mentioned books in red and black … The types and the printiing press were to be supplied by Giacomo Leoncini … Since by the time of his work in 1584 Francesco Giuliani had a grown son who was also a printer, his career as a printer muust have started long before this date. However, it was not until1586 that Francesco Giuliani became a member of the Guild of Printers and Booksellers … Shortly after the dissolution of the firm of 1584, Francesco Giuliani began to work for Giovanni Aliprandi … Giuliani’s name does not appear in all of the Aliprandi imprints, as some give only Aliprandi’s name, but we know that, like Leoncini, Aliprandi was primarily a bookseller and businessman and not a professional printer … Giuliani was also the printer contracted to work for a new firm consisting of Emmanouel Glyzounis, Loukas Sougdouris, Antonio Gemelli, and Giovanni Aliprandi. They joined forces on 5 February 1591 to finance the publication of the six Menaia of Spring and Summer …“ (Layton 291f.)

Publisher: „Aliprandi was not a printer but a bookseller (libraro) whose bookshop was at the sign of San Cristoforo at the Rialto. His occasional forays into publishing were alway in association with others … Aliprandi had the use of the type, decorations, and printing equipment that had originally belonged to his partner, Z. B. Tauroceni. The type and some of the decorative initials and headpieces had first been used by the publisher Andrea Spinelli, who was active between 1548 and 1564.“ (Layton 267f.)

That Aliprandi/Giuliani used the type of Spinelli is mentioned on the title-page. The mark of Spinelli appears at the end of the book.