Meta Description: Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle interview New York Times bestselling author Ross King. We dive into The Bookseller of Florence, the rise of the printing press, and the life of Vespasiano da Bisticci, the man who built libraries for the Medici.
Introduction: Jittery in the Vomitorium
Welcome back to the “Vomitorium,” listeners!
In Episode 45, the atmosphere in the studio is electric. Host Dr. Jeff Winkle admits he is “jittery” and “jumpy,” hardly able to control his excitement. Why? Because today we are joined by a true giant of popular history: Ross King.
If you love the Italian Renaissance, you have likely read Ross King. He is the author of Brunelleschi’s Dome, Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling, Leonardo and the Last Supper, and his latest masterpiece, The Bookseller of Florence.
King has a unique gift: he combines deep, scholarly research with the narrative pacing of a great novel. As Dr. Noe notes, his books are “phenomenal” and accessible, threading the needle between erudition and entertainment.
Who is Ross King?
Before we get to the bookseller, we get to know the author. Ross King didn’t start out as a Renaissance expert. He grew up on the Canadian prairies (Saskatchewan) and originally studied English Literature, getting his PhD in 18th-century English Lit (writing on the period of Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift).
So how did he end up in 15th-century Florence? While doing postdoctoral work at University College London, he began traveling to Italy. He fell in love with the art, the architecture, and the stories. He realized that while he enjoyed the “Augustan Age” of English literature, his true passion lay in the visual and cultural explosion of the Italian Renaissance. He transitioned from writing historical fiction to non-fiction, culminating in his breakout hit, Brunelleschi’s Dome.
The Bookseller: Vespasiano da Bisticci
The central figure of King’s new book is Vespasiano da Bisticci (1421–1498).
Vespasiano was not a noble. He was not a famous artist like Michelangelo or Leonardo. He was a merchant—specifically, a cartolaio (stationer/bookseller).
But to call him a “bookseller” is an understatement. He was the “King of the Booksellers” (Rei degli Librai). He operated a shop in the heart of Florence where he didn’t just sell books; he produced them. In the days before the printing press, a “book” was a manuscript, written by hand on parchment. Vespasiano acted as an impresario. He hired the scribes, the illuminators (who painted the gold leaf and miniatures), and the binders. He managed the entire supply chain of knowledge.
The Medici Connection: Vespasiano was the go-to man for Cosimo de’ Medici (Il Vecchio). When Cosimo wanted to create a library for the Monastery of San Marco (a library meant to save his soul from the sin of usury), he turned to Vespasiano. Vespasiano mobilized an army of 45 scribes. In just 22 months, they produced 200 volumes—an industrial output for a handicraft era.
The Revolution: Manuscript vs. Print
The dramatic tension in King’s book comes from a technological disruption rivaled only by the internet: the invention of the Printing Press.
In the 1450s, Gutenberg perfected movable type in Germany. By 1465, two Germans had set up a press in Subiaco, Italy (near Rome). By 1469, printing arrived in Venice. Florence, however, was late to the party. The press didn’t arrive there until 1471.
Why the delay? Ross King explains that Florence was the capital of the manuscript trade. They made the most beautiful, luxurious books in the world. For the Florentine elite, a printed book was “cheap” and “ugly.”
- Federico da Montefeltro, the Duke of Urbino and a major client of Vespasiano, famously said he “would be ashamed” to have a printed book in his library.
The End of an Era: Vespasiano represented the pinnacle of the old world. He believed in the unique, spiritual connection between the scribe and the text. He saw the printing press as a soulless machine. However, economics won out. A printed book cost a fraction of a manuscript. By 1480, Vespasiano closed his shop, unable (or unwilling) to compete with the “mechanical scribes”. He retreated to his villa to write his memoirs, leaving us with invaluable biographies of the great men he knew.
The Humanist Project
King emphasizes that Vespasiano wasn’t just a merchant; he was a Humanist. He was friends with the great scholars of the day. He helped Marsilio Ficino translate Plato into Latin for the first time in Western history. Before this period, the West only had a few dialogues of Plato. Thanks to the patronage of Cosimo and the work of Vespasiano, the entire corpus of Plato was recovered, sparking Neoplatonism and influencing artists like Botticelli.
Latin Language Spotlight
For our students of the Studia Humanitatis, here are the key terms from the episode to furnish your mental library:
- Scriptorium: The place where writing occurs. In monasteries, this was a room for scribes. Vespasiano turned the city of Florence into a scattered scriptorium.
- Manu Scriptus: “Written by hand.” The definition of a manuscript.
- Codex: A book with pages (as opposed to a volumen or scroll). Vespasiano specialized in the codex.
- Incunabula: “Cradle” or “swaddling clothes.” This term refers to books printed in the earliest stages of printing (pre-1501).
- Vitae: “Lives.” Vespasiano wrote the Vite of 103 illustrious men, modeling himself after Plutarch.
- Bibliotheca: Library. Cosimo built the first public bibliotheca in Florence at San Marco.
Sponsors
This journey into the Renaissance was brought to you by:
- Hackett Publishing: For affordable, high-quality translations of Renaissance and Classical texts. Use code AN2021 for 20% off at hackettpublishing.com.
- Ratio Coffee: Brew coffee worthy of a Medici. Use code ANCO for 15% off the Ratio 6 at ratiocoffee.com.
- Ad Astra Roasters: Coffee that takes you to the stars (Ad Astra). Use code ANAA for 10% off at adastraroasters.com.
The Gustatory Parting Shot
We leave you with a quote from Scott Westerfeld which fits perfectly with the Ad Navseam philosophy:
“The best way to know a city is to eat it.”
Whether that means devouring its history, its art, or its Bistecca alla Fiorentina, we heartily agree.
Valete!
