Paper for Octavos: innovation in early sixteenth-century book production

Shaw, David J. (2025) Paper for Octavos: innovation in early sixteenth-century book production. The Library: Transactions of the Bibliographical Society, 26 (1). pp. 38-47. ISSN 0024-2160. E-ISSN 1744-8581. (doi:10.1093/library/fpae051) (KAR id:107867)

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/library%2Ffpae051

Abstract

In 1501 Aldus Manutius appears to have introduced a new size of printing paper for his series of pocket editions of classical texts in octavo format. When folded, these sheets gave an octavo page noticeably slimmer and taller than a traditional octavo printed on chancery sheets. This Aldine innovation was immediately copied in counterfeit editions produced by printers in Lyon. The new sheet size was quickly adopted by many printers in France and beyond for editions in octavo format.

Item Type:	Article
DOI/Identification number:	10.1093/library/fpae051
Uncontrolled keywords:	Authorship, including author attribution, Printing-shop procedures, Paper
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General)
Institutional Unit:	Schools > School of Humanities > History
Former Institutional Unit:	Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Funders:	University of Kent (https://ror.org/00xkeyj56)
Depositing User:	David Shaw
Date Deposited:	25 Nov 2024 11:55 UTC
Last Modified:	23 Jul 2025 13:37 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/107867 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Shaw, David J..

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