Circulation, Use, Impact

The Consumption of Architectural Books in the Early Modern Eastern Adriatic

Guarneri, Cristiano

Alongside stone and mortar, a stream of ink and paper poured into the eastern Adriatic architectural market during the early modern period. This book reconstructs the history of how printed books transformed architecture in an under-investigated region.
This groundbreaking study dissects the life cycle of architectural knowledge as it travelled from the pages of printed books onto actual buildings. It traces the circulation of books from commercial routes to early modern libraries, examines their use by a diverse array of readers––from stonemasons to curious patrons––and assesses their ultimate impact on the built environment.
By combining meticulous analysis of individual book copies with an original evidence-based methodology, the author provides a fresh perspective on local architectural history while offering a promising new paradigm for similar studies. Complete with a comprehensive catalogue of preserved architectural books and rich visual materials, this is an essential read for anyone interested in the profound connection between printed ideas and constructed reality.