The Aldine family business between inheritance and intellectual legacy

Studies on the Aldine Press (1495-1597) in Renaissance Venice have traditionally focused on individual figures, most of all its founder, Aldus Manutius (d. 1515), who remained central to the firm's branding and legacy after his death. This co-authored essay argues that although the Press was very deliberate in placing Aldus front and centre within the operation, from its intellectual materials to its publicity, the intellectual and commercial achievements of the firm were due to a collective vision. Re-reading the history of the Aldine Press, we propose a new interpretation of its innovations, successes and failures, looking beyond the branding campaign centred on Aldus the individual by revisiting a variety of documents through the interpretive lens of the dynastic venture. Dedications, letters, commercial catalogues, and Aldine editions themselves are analysed in depth and diachronically, ultimately demonstrating the close-knit quality of the family venture and the long-term succession vision that pervaded all activities within the firm.