Aldus Manutius's italic type
Letra cursiva de Aldo Manucio
- Date
- 1501 · confidence high
- Place
- Venice, Veneto, Italy
- Credited to
- Aldus Manutius and punchcutter Francesco Griffo
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
What it is
A slanted, compact type, first used in the 1501 Virgil, that made pocket-sized octavo books possible. It gave rise to modern italic.
The design was by Francesco Griffo, not Aldus himself; Griffo fell out with him over ownership of the type.
What it led to
- pocket-sized octavo books
- italic in European printed books
- italics used alongside roman letters