Publication of Petri Bembi de Aetna (1496)

In 1496, Aldus Manutius published Pietro Bembo's De Aetna in Venice. This work was the Aldine Press's first Latin publication by a contemporary author and the first book printed in the new Roman typeface, which later became the basis for the Bembo font.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Pietro Bembo was a Venetian scholar and poet who influenced the development of the Tuscan dialect as a literary language. Aldus Manutius, an Italian printer and humanist, founded the Aldine Press in Venice in 1494, dedicating his life to publishing rare texts and disseminating classical works.

Publication Details. Manutius launched Bembo's career by publishing De Aetna in 1496. This text described Bembo's climb of Mount Etna with his father, Bernardo, where they observed snow in summer, contradicting Strabo. The publication marked the Aldine Press's first Latin work by a contemporary author.

Typographic Significance. The Roman typeface used for De Aetna was finished in 1495. This book was the first published in the new Roman script. The typeface later became the basis for the Monotype Corporation's 'old-style serif' font called 'Bembo'.

People involved

Sources

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