This book contains reproductions of the printers' and publishers' marks of all those – both Greeks and non-Greeks – who printed or published books for Greek readers from the dawn of typography until just before the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Their aim was to preserve the historical memory of the modern Greeks, to foster the use of the Greek language and to uphold the Orthodox faith. Also reproduced here are the crests and coats of arms of the rulers of the Danubian principalities who actively supported the publication and dissemination of Greek books in the East. Some of the devices are the marks of well-known printing houses where Greek scholars and calligraphers were largely responsible for he accuracy of the texts and the visual appearance of the book, such as the firms of Aldus Manutius in Venice and Robert Estienne in Paris.
All this printing and publishing activity, even if we limit it only to books containing printers' or publishers' marks, covered a vast area of the Western and Eastern worlds: the list of places where these books were produced includes Alcalá, Bucharest, Constantinople, Florence, Geneva, Jassy, Kefallonia, London, Milan, Moschopolis, Mount Athos, Paris, Rome, Venice and Vienna. The marks are illustrated and described in all their variant forms, complete with bibliographical references, identifications, a general index and an index of printers and printing houses.

Volume editor: Colin Clair