The making of the book market in Siena (XVI-XVII): production, circulation, belonging

Abstract

Between 1465 and 1600 the typographic production in Siena, although not much spread yet, significantly developed. The research on inventories of Sienese shops between the 15th and the 17th century, allows drawing a picture of the tastes and expectations of the book market, and highlights a complex commercial structure, made up by small and larger and richer bookshops. Although in most cases these inventories do not bear prices, some notes of possession in the books allow a general analysis of the social configuration of the book market. Accordingly, the purchase of books was in first instance a realm of middle/higher strata of the population, spreading after the decrease of prices on lower strata. Furthermore, the study of notarial acts enriches the picture with a variety of book collections belonging to different social actors. Finally, a valuable support in order to reconstruct the spread and circulation of the Sienese book market in the first thirty years of the 16th century is the library of Fernardo Colombo (Colombina), thanks to the habit of his owner to note on every single book the place, date and price of purchase.