Upcoming Events

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Printers’ Typographical Signs of Books in the Greek World (1494-1821)

ASCSA, Gennadius Library, 61 Souidias Street
210-7210536, ext. 101
Exhibition of rare books at the Gennadius Library
Curator: Konstantinos Staikos

The Exhibition will be open until June 30, 2009
Hours:
Monday - Friday 9.00 - 17.00
Thursday to 20.00
Saturday 9.00 - 14.00

In conjunction with the new book of Konstantinos Staikos Printers’ Typographical Signs in Books of the Greek World (1494-1821) - Εκδοτικά Τυπογραφικά Σήματα Βιβλίων του Ελληνικού Κόσμου (1494-1821), which was presented by Professor Georgios Bambiniotis in Cotsen Hall on May 5th, the Gennadius Library organizes an exhibition of some fine examples of early Greek books from its collections.

Printers used typographical signs to declare their identity and adorn their books. These signs are fine works of art, sometimes complex and sometimes simple but always impressive. Opening a world unknown to a wider public, Staikos’s book and the exhibition at the Gennadius Library seek to highlight details about the art of the book as it has been developed by both well-known and unknown printers and typographers since the early stages of typography until just before the Greek War of Independence. The typographical signs were usually unsigned configurations with varied content: mythological and non-mythological creatures, accompanied by Greek or Latin dicta advertising the authenticity of the publication, and in some cases furnished with portraits of the book’s printer or patron. They were designed by painters and engravers who worked at the typographical centers and were experts in design, engraving, and execution of their creation on metal.

The first typographical sign in book history has been found on the Psalter printed in Mainz by Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer in 1457.

The signs presented - emblems, coats of arms, geometrical and other compositions – represent Greek publications printed outside of Greece before the War of Independence. They were addressed to Greeks or, more generally, to all Orthodox Christians. In addition, the volume includes signs of famous printing houses that were significant for the printing of Greek books such as Aldus Manutius in Venice, and Henri Estienne in Paris, which developed the internationally acclaimed type called “Gres du Roi” (fonts, incipit letters, and title decoration) based on the designs of important Greek calligraphers.

The typographical signs are presented in chronological order with a short mention of the book to which each one belongs. The selection was based on bibliographical publications and on research in many libraries, both monastic and lay, in Greece and abroad. All signs are rendered in their original dimensions, are described and accompanied by bibliographical information.

The event has been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Welfare Foundation for Social and Cultural Affairs (KIKPE).

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