Manuscript culture  

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"At the restoration of letters, the researches of literary men were chiefly directed to this point; every part of Europe and Greece was ransacked; and, the glorious end considered, there was something sublime in this humble industry, which often recovered a lost author of antiquity, and gave one more classic to the world. This occupation was carried on with enthusiasm, and a kind of mania possessed many, who exhausted their fortunes in distant voyages and profuse prices. In reading the correspondence of the learned Italians of these times, their adventures of manuscript-hunting are very amusing; and their raptures, their congratulations, or at times their condolence, and even their censures, are all immoderate. The acquisition of a province would not have given so much satisfaction as the discovery or an author little known, or not known at all. "Oh, great gain! Oh, unexpected felicity! I intreat you, my Poggio, send me the manuscript as soon as possible, that I may see it before I die!" exclaims Aretino, in a letter overflowing with enthusiasm, on Poggio's discovery of a copy of Quintilian. Some of the half-witted, who joined in this great hunt, were often thrown out, and some paid high for manuscripts not authentic; the knave played on the bungling amateur of manuscripts, whose credulity exceeded his purse. But even among the learned, much ill-blood was inflamed; he who had been most successful in acquiring manuscripts was envied by the less fortunate, and the glory of possessing a manuscript of Cicero seemed to approximate to that of being its author. It is curious to observe that in these vast importations into Italy of manuscripts from Asia, John Aurispa, who brought many hundreds of Greek manuscripts, laments that he had chosen more profane than sacred writers; which circumstance he tells us was owing to the Greeks, who would not so easily part with theological works, but did not highly value profane writers!"--Curiosities of Literature (1791-1823) by Isaac D'Israeli

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Manuscript culture refers to the development and use of the manuscript as a means of storing and disseminating information until the age of printing. The Early Age of manuscript culture consisted of monks copying mostly religious text in monasteries. Medieval manuscript culture deals with the transition of the manuscript from the monasteries to the market in the cities, and the rise of universities. Manuscript culture in the cities created new jobs built around the making, copying and trade of manuscript, and typically was regulated by universities. The Late Age of manuscript culture existed immediately preceding and during the rise of the printing press. Late manuscript culture was characterized by a desire for uniformity, well ordered and convenient access to the text contained within, and ease of reading the text aloud. It directly grew out of the Fourth Lateran Council and the rise of the Devotio Moderna. It included a change in materials (with a switch from vellum to paper), and was subject to remediation by the printed book, while also influencing it.

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Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Manuscript culture" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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