Up until the middle of the fifteenth century, each and every book in Europe was handmade. Books were precious, expensive, and prized possessions of monasteries and learned collectors wealthy enough to purchase them. With Johann Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type in the 1450s, plus other advances in engraving, book printing, and distribution, all of that changed.

Venice was poised to be a leader in this expanding trade. The city’s geographic position as a gateway to the East, its preeminence in international trade, and its place as a center for knowledge exchange and artisanship made the Venetian Republic a natural setting for large-scale paper- and book-making to take root.