From Dante to Casanova

Italian books in Zois’s library

Abstract

This article concerns part of the library of Baron Sigismund Zois, and specifically the books in Italian listed in his library’s 1782 catalogue. Its particular focus is on books whose titles largely disappeared from the later catalogue of 1821, which was created when Zois’s books were sold to the library of Ljubljana Lyceum. The list of titles in Italian that were recorded in the first catalogue shows the Baron’s interest in literature that was being published in Italy at that time. From the contents of this list, we can see that the Baron’s reading did provide some pleasant entertainment, since alongside Italian classics, his collection included lighter genres such as burlesque poetry, satire in both verse and prose, and also novels. Analysis of volumes that passed through this library also allows us to identify some clever strategies adopted by authors and publishers in order to sell books. This analysis falls both in the field of material culture studies and in that of circulation of print books.