I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really fascinating reference.

Overall, I liked it. I thought there were some really interesting pieces of history discussed, but I did feel like it meandered in places with mixed results.

While being in Toscany for the Summer break I read this most fascinating book on Florence’s renowned bookseller Vespasiano da Bisticci (1421-1498). During his traineeship as a bookbinder Vespasiano became a highly skilled craftsman who made the most precious pieces, but he was more than just a talented artisan. He became part of the circle of new scholars, and his career as a bookseller intertwined with the production and transmission of new knowledge. The manuscripts he produced were among the most valuable and could only be collected by the happy few: kings, cardinals and of course the Medici.

The Florentine Renaissance is more than beautiful arts and architecture: it is also the cradle of an intellectual revival. The book print industry disseminated the intellectual renaissance all over Europe, a revolution comparable to that of the modern day internet.
Vespasiano stuck to the old, beautiful but very costly and labour intensive way of making manuscripts. He maintained the viewpoint during his life that printed books were an inferior product and could not compete with the aesthetics and accuracy of the illuminated manuscripts. But in the end the proud bookseller of Florence had to bow his head to the commercial successes of the printing press and retired to the hills of Florence.

Ross King has written a magnificent book, a must read for everyone who is interested in Renaissance Italy.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Bookseller of Florence
The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance
by Ross King
Pub Date 13 Apr 2021
Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press
History




I am reviewing a copy of The Bookseller of Florence through Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press and Netgalley:



When we think of the Renaissance in Florence conjures images of beautiful frescoes and elegant buildings the dazzling handiwork of the city’s skilled artists and architects. But just as important or the centuries to follow were geniuses of a different sort: Florence’s manuscript hunters, scribes, scholars, and booksellers, who blew the dust off a thousand years of history and, through the discovery and diffusion of ancient knowledge, imagined a new and enlightened world.


At the heart of this activity, which bestselling author Ross King relates in his exhilarating new book, was a remarkable man: Vespasiano da Bisticci. Born in 1422, he became what a friend called “the king of the world’s booksellers.” At a time when books were all made by hand





Vespasiano reached the summit of his powers as Europe’s most prolific merchant of knowledge when a new invention appeared: the printed book. By 1480 the king of the world’s booksellers was swept away by this epic technological disruption, whereby cheaply produced books reached readers who never could have afforded one of Vespasiano’s elegant manuscripts.



If you are interested in the Renaissance in Florence, as well as Europe’s most prolific bookseller creating thousands of books, at a time when they were all created by the hand.



I give The Bookseller of Florence five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

A very interesting book that really makes you appreciate the ease of books available to us today. A very good history of bookmaking and the preservation of knowledge thru the ages

I've recently been intrigued by the Renaissance and how it came about so this book really appealed to me. I hadn't heard of Vespasiano so this provided a wealth of information.

Vespasiano came from humble origins and rose to become the king of the booksellers, providing manuscripts to Kings, nobility and wealthy patrons such as the Medici.

Not only does this book explain the findings of old classics like Aristotle and Plato but also discusses events in Italy throughout the time and the introduction of the printing press and how this affected people like Vespasiano.

I can honestly say this is one of the best books I have ever read, I have learnt so much and it has encouraged me to learn more especially about the classics.

It is so interesting to know where and when the classics were found, who translated them and who commissioned manuscripts. It's also wonderful learning how these beautiful works were created, often taking a team to create a single manuscript.

King also gives an overview of the remainder of Vespasiano's life and career after retiring from book selling. This book had me so fascinated I've marked several passages for further reading and King has kindly provided me with advice on seeking out a copy of Vespasiano's biographies on the men he provided his works for. King has provided an exceptional narrative of literature during the Renaissance and the men who made it possible.

If you are interested in learning about the classics and the Renaissance as well as events in Italy I truly recommend this and it is a book I will reread in the future.

This book is a masterful tome describing a critical period in the evolution of the availability of the printed work . I was fortunate to hear Ross King speak about how, he would repeatedly come across (only) brief mentions about Vespasiano, and so he decided he would write a book entirely dedicated to his life. This is the result. It is packed with the history of renaissance Italy, (Florence) in all its glory. If you are looking for a detailed book about Vespasiano and his life, I highly recommend THIS book.

When it comes to sociocontextual History and Art History, Ross King is right up there with Simon Schama as a writer.

As with his other wonderful books digging into the Italian Renaissance, King’s writing in The Bookseller of Florence is so evocative and transporting that to read it is to feel as though you are walking the streets alongside the book’s principal subjects.

King’s standard approach (and the one he uses here) is to frame whatever artwork or other object(s) he is discussing in terms of how they fit in with/were born of/affected life at the time, be that for the average citizen or the ruling class.

King is so expansive and thorough that we here we get-in a way-the entire early history of reading and manuscripts, dating back to Ancient Greece. From the contents of the texts to why they returned to favor at this time to the actual construction process, King gives us everything we never knew we needed to know about the topic but were subsequently thrilled to learn.

This might be a bit of a tough read if you’ve no background in Italian Renaissance history, but King’s tone and oft-pedantic (I mean that in a good way) humor and irreverence are so appealing that you’ll likely be motivated to muddle through.

For those with more prior education on the subject, you’ll come across many of the usual suspects while learning a lot of new information. Even good old Savanarola, everyone’s least favorite Renaissance blowhard, makes an appearance at the end.

Vespasiano’s personal story is both interesting and important, but where King’s work really shines is in the way he places that story within the timeline of the Rinascimento to demonstrate its greater significance.

King’s work always feels like a cut above the rest—both in quality and delivery of information—and this book is happily no exception.

History at its finest…

I simply LOVED this book. I’ve read many of this author’s histories and this is another one to add to that stellar list. It was dense, full of information all things paper and books, from their inception to the Renaissance. Every wondered about papyrus? About Leonordo da Vinci’s notebooks? There are untold treasures here, discussed in a conversational tone that helped me wade through this info-rich book.

This was not a one-sitting read, not even close. The writing style was fluid though and kept inviting me back, which I did over multiple days. How did paper actually come to be? How did it move through the ages? What was its impact? What was the human story behind it all? So many questions and all the answers were just waiting for me. It was a lot of information. Sooooo much but each time I picked up the book I was eager for more…

I read this in digital format but I definitely will be picking up a print copy – I want to see and ‘feel’ the illustrations along with the text… Great read!

Immerse yourself in Renaissance Florence (which is very recognizable in today’s city) and the world of book production. There is a lot to digest in this painstakingly detailed history. Take it in small bites, and you will be far better educated about the world of Renaissance books.

Vespaciano was a trail blazer. From his studio he produced a prolific number of books all detailing intricate work of miniaturists as well as
the best scribes possible to detail a voluminous number of books sought by people who appreciated art, literature, education of the mind in every
form. This was in 1422.

In the midst of it all in 1480 came the massive shift in the book world. From painstaking scripts hand written to the printing of books. This
made books accessible to a wider populace but it also (like anything new) created a rebellion of sorts in the book world.

This was a detailed and well thought out book. At the same time it will not appeal to all. The voluminous amount of detail which made up the
history of this story is great. It is history, literature, art and so much more. There are a lot of characters one has to keep track but my interest
never waned. It also takes time to read and consume.


The book was detailed and intense.

I am not a regular reader of non-fiction, but I always read Ross King's books. His writing is so compelling that his histories read as novels. This was another stunning example of his ability to write and teach so engagingly. I bought the book after it's release and finished reading it with the illustrations, a very rewarding experience.

Thanks so much to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for my honest review.
Ross King, just his name tells us this is going to be a well-researched book, and one about the Renaissance period in Italy - he has written about some non-Renaissance topics, but the Renaissance is his wheelhouse! And for the first time he has turned his eyes to the lost art of bookmaking, and printing in the 15th century and a minor character, Vespaciano, who rose from humble origins to become a leading bookmaker, bookseller and friend to the greats in Florence and beyond. He supplied many of these people with beautiful and elegant copies of old masters such as Plato, Cicero and other Greek and Roman writers, his services were in demand even after the invention of the moveable type printing press.
No matter how much I will rave about this book, it is not a book for everyone, as you have to wade through the development of papyrus to codex to parchment to paper, with much detail about all of these developments. Then we learn about how ink is prepared, how scribes used to copy on parchment and how parchment was prepared. There is a lot of book history here, a lot of philosophy here, a lot of Renaissance history and historical figures here, and finally a massive amount of names and places in the development of the printing press - so much so that I have failed to understand why so many examples are included when maybe 5 would be sufficient. But, then again, we are talking about Ross King who does immense research and will give you all you need to know, and most likely all that is known on a topic.
I really enjoyed this book but it was not one that I could read cover to cover at one time. I was easily able to read a few chapters, close the book and return to it. A well done effort and I look forward to King's next book no matter what the topic!

Happy to include this title in the spring edition of Life Stories, my seasonal column of notable new memoir and biography in Zoomer magazine’s Zed Books section.

This well researched, clearly written book ties together the history of book creation, philosophy, religion, marketing and selling of books by featuring at its center the bookseller Vespasiano a Renaissance man in many senses of the word. Author Ross King draws in the reader with just enough political background, introducing the leading scholars, artists, military minds, and merchants in Florence and around Europe during the 15th century. As the world of scholarly pursuit, dissemination of historical/philosophical thought, and evolving technology combine, the written word becomes available to the masses.

The only thing truly missing here are examples of the illuminated texts that are at the center of the story. Once I finished Ross' work I immediately sought out other sources to complete the picture.

Bibliophilia, European-history, bookseller, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, nonfiction, obsession*****

I recognize that this is a personal interest Publish or Perish for Dr Ross King, but I really enjoyed it anyway. This is despite a few pages that I felt I was slogging through. This is because there was so much interesting stuff that was new to me or explained so much better than what I'd learned before. And I did learn a lot from his meticulous research and easy presentation. Just learning more about the development of the written and/or printed word made the whole zillion pages (of which 14% is acknowledgements and credits).
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Too bad that I missed the Zoom at the Cuyahoga Library yesterday!

A fascinating story of the rediscovery of Greek and Roman texts by scholars in the so-called "Dark Ages", 'The Bookseller of Florence' proves to the reader that the time period was anything but dark. Focusing around the bookseller Vespasiano, Ross King tells us of the rise of the medieval manuscript, parchment and vellum, and the philosophers and scholars who worked to translate Greek texts, to rediscover Plato and Aristotle, and lead to a great humanist revolution . King answers questions about how such texts could be "lost" in the first place and where and how they began to be rediscovered, which I found fascinating. Covering such a large amount of history helped me by focusing on Vespasiano, a Florence bookseller who worked to build libraries of the rich and famous, to recruit scribes and illustrators and make beautiful manuscripts, and to make sure that the knowledge found within them was spread despite plagues or wars. When Ross King expands his book to explore more political and far reaching aspects of the time, or philosophies of people Vespasiano knew and considered friends, I often thought the text dragged and I got lost in it sometimes before working my way back to Vespasiano. It's obvious King wanted to do his best to provide a full picture of the life and times Vespasiano lived in and influenced, but sometimes it got a little much for me.

However, overall this was a book full of fascinating information and tidbits I loved reading, although far too many for me to remember in one sitting. To fully absorb even a fraction of the knowledge King is passing on would take multiple readings and probably taking notes. Highly dense and occasionally slow, but fascinating if you stay with it,

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book is an intellectual feast for all bibliophiles, written with expert knowledge and deep love of books.
It's a book about booksellers and the book-making process, in the time of transition from handwritten and splendidly illuminated manuscripts bound in fabrics and jewels to the mass production of the printing. It's a book as well about desperate and devoted searching of the Roman and Greek intellectual heritage during the early Renaissance in Florence, Italy, it's history, government, intellectual influence.
I would like to thank you the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy for a review.

This is one of the best history books I've read in years.

It's written superbly. The language is a delight - but not so clever or lyrical that it gets hard to read. The pace is just right, and the level of detail is an absolute delight: the right balance of fascinating without getting into ridiculous minutiae.

It's wonderfully historical: it uses primary sources and historians to make arguments and illustrate points, and they're all woven within the story seamlessly. It uses endnotes, so you don't have footnotes cluttering the page but you still have the reassurance that the author has done the research!

It illuminates (heh) the context magnificently. The Renaissance, Italy, and Florence are really not my scene, beyond knowing a few names (Medici, Borgia. - and Sforza for some reason?). The author sets the general scene for all three so that I felt completely comfortable going in. The book is ostensibly about Vespasiona, the "king of booksellers", who started as a fairly uneducated boy working in a book binder's in Florence and became the man who could either track down a manuscript or have a beautiful new one made for you - where "you" could be a wealthy-enough person in Florence or, like, the Pope (a few of whom he knew by name, hello). Beyond being a biography, though (which would have been fascinating but not that long because info about his early life is lacking) this is almost a biography of TEXTS, as objects and sources of knowledge, in this crucial moment - the 15th century. Why was it crucial? Well, a bunch of ancient Greek texts were being rediscovered and translated - especially Plato, who was being brought into the Christian fold as Aristotle was two centuries before. There were changes in the way knowledge itself was perceived, and an increase in the number of people (let's be honest, basically men, but still) who were chatting/arguing/ getting fiery about various bits of knowledge. OH, and THEN, Gutenberg and his crazy weird moveable type (NOT first invented by him, of course, that was happening over in Asia already, and the author acknowledges that) comes along. The way the author contextualises that, and discusses the stats about book publication (mss numbers rose when print came along - probably because of increasing literacy) - it's all just an absolute delight.

The book balances political history, social history, and a bit of economic history to make a thoroughly well-rounded examination of the period. And it still manages to revolve around this one man, Vespasiano, who coordinated the production of beautiful books and magnificent libraries, who became an author himself in old age, and was probably a bit of a cranky old man about those new-fangled print books.

Gosh I loved this book.

I love to read historical books about Italian Renaissance and I loved this one.
There's plenty of interesting story and humor, an excellent way to learn something new and being entertained.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine