Scritti inediti di Martino Martini: ipotesi di lavoro e di ricerca

Are still there unknown works by Martino Martini? Although the Jesuit spent a very short period as a missionary in China, compared to some of his well-known confreres, he was able to publish instrumental works on China for the European readers of the time. Reading upon his works and letters Martini left many clues about his intention to have more books, in Latin as well as in Chinese, published. Did he succeed? Up to now the answer should be negative. Nevertheless, even if no more books were published with his name, archival research could unveil unexpected treasures, such as preliminary drafts or direct evidence of his working progress. This paper will try to investigate such a possibility according to some working hypotheses.