Cultura e circolazione libraria in Sardegna tra tardo medioevo e prima età moderna

SECHE, GIUSEPPE

2014-05-27

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Abstract

The aim of this thesis is that of contributing to improve the knowledge of the cultural history of Sardinia, with a particular focus on book circulation during a time of great intellectual, political and social change, such as the end of the XV and VI Century. Through the analysis of notary deeds, and particularly post mortem inventories, the first part of the study has reconstructed the structure and content of sixty-two private libraries, ten belonging to Church representatives, seven to lawyers, four to doctors or other categories related to public health, ten to women, seven to aricstocratic families and seven to other categories. The total number of volumes in this census exceeds 5000 units, while the different authors come up to almost 1260. In a number of cases the analysis conducted has allowed the investigator to outline brief biographical profiles, reconstructing family and professional relations as well as to bring to light the cultural context whereby Sardinian society evolved in those years. The second part of the dissertation has been devoted to the editorial production of the city of Cagliari between 1566 and 1600, with an emphasis on technical aspects of the typographic processes as well as on the circulation of the editions produced. Starting from 190 items and from archival sources, 86 editions have been described, 68 of which of secure identification and 18 for which ownership is probable or possible, two loose papers, which still today represents the only prove of draft printing.