0000000000145610
AUTHOR
Domenico Ciccarello
Tra bisogni individuali e fruizione collettiva. Spazi delle biblioteche e pratiche di lettura in una prospettiva diacronica
Over the centuries, libraries have profoundly transformed their spaces, their physical appearance, their organization, but they have always remained faithful to their dual mission: a) to support lifelong learning and individual creativity, and b) to foster community development, that is, the growth of all social groups and age groups. The evolution of libraries has seen a steady acceleration especially since the mid-19th century, when the industrial processes of book production definitely expanded the availability and accessibility of content for a largest audience. The improved socio-economic conditions were best suited to the birth and development of public libraries, acting as democratic…
Nuovi spunti su Benedetto Bacchini e il paratesto editoriale
Three centuries after the death of the Benedictine abbot Benedetto Bacchini (1645-1721), the publication of the proceedings of an important conference dedicated to him has made it possible to reconsider his figure as a religious and intellectual of European rank. Among the aspects worthy of renewed attention, the significant role of the paratextual apparatus emerged, as a privileged area for expressing in deep the historical thought and vision proposed by Bacchini. The editorial paratexts of some of Bacchini’s works that were entrusted to the printing houses without the intervention of the author, edited by scholars who had great esteem and / or had been very close to him, also offer releva…
La imagen de la Concha de Oro en los impresos de la Edad Moderna
For centuries, an image commonly associated with Santiago de Compostela (the shell) has accompanied the city of Palermo as well. Since the classical tradition and medieval literature, and then during the Renaissance and Baroque age, this symbol has been connected with other urban symbols (the rivers, the eagle and trhe Genius of Palermo), thus contributing to its historical identity, although in a rather idealistic form. Therefore, the expression «Golden Shell» has been used repeatedly in a large number of books printed during the Modern Age, with multiple meanings. The main purpose was to show those attributes linked with the city's landscape (wealth and beauty) within a specific political…
“Let there be light”. Andrew Carnegie e le biblioteche pubbliche
The impact of cultural patronage for local development has so far not been adequately emphasized in comparative studies on public library history. Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), the famous entrepreneur of Scottish origins who, as a young man, emigrated to the United States (Pennsylvania), where the fortunes of his steel industry quickly made him an extremely wealthy man, can rightly be regarded as the most extraordinary patron of public libraries in the English-speaking countries between the 19th and 20th centuries. Later, mindful of the great value of free libraries for his self-training in his youth, Carnegie devoted several million dollars for the establishment of over 2,500 new public lib…
Illustrating a Family. The Printing Press and Political Issues in the "Ritratti della Prosapia et Heroi Moncadi nella Sicilia"
In an early printed book, the presence of a large iconographic apparatus normally reveals a strong effort both in designing its shape and in the financial coverage needed to make it possible. Such effort can be fully explained by paying attention to the scope and target behind its conception. The two volumes of “Ritratti della Prosapia et heroi Moncadi nella Sicilia”, published in 1657 in Valencia, offer a notable example of the political exposure sought after by a noble family, that of Moncada, through the printing press technique and its power of circulation, combined with the attractiveness of family portraits. In particular, the 1657 book, written by Giovanni Agostino Della Lengueglia, …
Imprenta y poder en el Siglo de Oro. Relaciones y avisos sobre las fiestas reales entre Palermo y Nápoles
Las fiestas reales, con sus ritos y valor simbólico, fueron una herramienta estratégica para fortalecer los vínculos entre el soberano, la nobleza y el pueblo en las provincias del reino. Las relaciones impresas que se conservan sobre las celebraciones reflejan que la monarquía tenía un programa claro para gestionar el consenso político local y reforzar las jerarquías sociales existentes. Se muestran algunos aspectos de esta relación entre imprenta y poder a través de algunas relaciones de sucesos impresas en dos importantes ciudades bajo dominio español: Palermo y Nápoles. Royal celebrations, with their rites and symbolic value, were intended as a strategic tool for the Spanish Crown, in o…