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The madrilenian printer Andrés García de la Iglesia has, among his works, some important books for the study of the 17th century theatre. Considering his whole production, we may find the Once entremeses, a specially relevant volume held in the Biblioteca Nacional de España (R/31254), which collects factitiously several entremeses. We propose a literary and a bibliographical examination of these pieces, printed in broadsheets in 1659, in order to compare them with the dramatic scene of the 17th century. Once analyzed physically and textually, we will try to reach some conclusions about the printed reception of drama in the specific case of Andrés García de la Iglesia's books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the identification of the hitherto unknown printers of the works of Benedictus de Spinoza (1632-77). For centuries the identity of these printers has remained a mystery. The publisher Jan Rieuwertsz, or the printer Christoffel Cunradus, were often mistakenly mentioned as printer of the works of the seventeenth-century Dutch philosopher. These assumptions are incorrect. Despite several studies published in the last decades, the true identity of the printer was still unknown. In this paper we will describe how we were able to identify Spinoza's anonymous printers by means of analytical bibliography. The identity of printers can be established by their usage of unique printing types, initials and ornaments. By comparing printing materials of known printers to unidentified samples, anonymous works can be ascribed to a certain printer. In seventeenth-century books a decorated initial is often used to start the text This initial belongs to a certain printer and by comparing different prints of similar initials in detail, small differences may be found. These differences can be caused by damages of the initial concerned, such as small cracks. If these differences are consistent over different prints, one can ascribe certain works to the same printer. By such research the Amsterdam-based printers Daniel Bakkamude and Herman Aeltsz can be identified as the printers of the two earliest published works of Spinoza. His most famous works, Tractatus Theologico-politicus and Opera Posthuma (including the Ethica), were printed by another Amsterdam-based printer. Israël de Paull (1632-80). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Gerrit Harmansz, Israël de Pauli and their successors are almost unknown in the history of the book and only 20 known publications bear their names, they operated an important Amsterdam printing office for about fifty years. This article provides a detailed account of the masters of the printing office, its workmen as far as we can identify them, the addresses where it operated and the books and other printed matter that can be attributed to the printing office based at least partly on internal or external documentary evidence. It also illustrates all printing types, fleurons, woodcut or duplicated woodcut ornaments and initials in these publications, and gives further information about the origins of the printing types. This provides a basis for identifying the printing office's extensive and in many cases controversial undocumented work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 19 April 1684, Pedro Disses, former servant of the house of don Juan José of Austria, presented a report to the Diputación General del Reino de Castilla in which he offered the series of punches he had made, and could continue making, for the cutting of typographical molds. In doing so, he hoped to receive an official commission to continue his work; something which, given the difficulties encountered in printing at the time due to the absence of such instruments, he considered vital. The present article, accompanied by the relevant documentation, analyses the successive steps in the relationship between Pedro Disses and various Castilian institutions up to the 14 January 1690 when, following the concession of royal approval for Disses’ project, the Cámara de Castilla requested that the king order on-going assistance for Disses in the light of the importance of his work. Amongst the documentation analysed here, of particular importance is the the report of the Madrid printer Luis Antonio de Bedmar on the official meeting with the printers and Disses in October 1685. Bedmar reports on, and praises, the examples of letrerías presented by Disses and describes in somewhat exaggerated fashion, the critical situation of printing in Madrid, referring to the lack of punches and molds which would allow the printers to renew their typographies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A.-J. Guibert's Bibliographie des oeuvres de Jean Racine publiées au XVIIe siècle et oeuvres posthumes (Paris 1968) lists a collected 'Oeuvres de Racine. Nouvelle édition' in two volumes 12° with imprint 'A Brusselles, chez George de Backer', 1700, of which Guibert was unable to trace any copies. The preceding entry in the bibliography is for another 'Nouvelle édition' with imprint 'A Paris, chez Jean Pralart', 1699-1700, also in two volumes 12°, and Guibert describes the copy at Versailles. A few copies of De Backer's edition exist in libraries in the UK. This article demonstrates that the Paris imprint is fictitious and that these two 'editions' are in fact two issues of the same edition, printed by George de Backer in Brussels. Both issues exist in different states, and the article attempts to define their relationships. The sole rights to print Racine's works in the Habsburg jurisdiction were awarded to De Backer in 1694 for nine years. The article suggests reasons for the long delay in starting the work and considers the problems faced by the relatively young and inexperienced De Backer and the measures he took which may have led to the different states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a handwriting sample uncovered for Thomas Cotes, seventeenth-century stationer of London, England. He was notable for his printings of plays, as well as for serving as parish clerk for his local church of St Giles Cripplegate. In October 1627, an entry was made in the church burial records for Cotes' wife Margret, which notes the wedding date of October 1606 and was written by Thomas.