Aldus Manutius

Manutius studied in Rome to become a humanist scholar, tutored the young lords of Carpi, and published early works for his pupils before settling in Venice in his late thirties or early forties. There he co-founded the Aldine Press with Andrea Torresano, driven by a conviction that Greek texts - Aristotle, Aristophanes - should be read in their original form, untouched by translation. He commissioned typefaces in Greek and Latin that mimicked humanist handwriting, the first known precursors of italic, and began printing rare manuscripts no one else would touch. His small portable enchiridia revolutionized personal reading and became the ancestor of the modern paperback. The press's reputation for accuracy drew Erasmus, who sought Manutius out to publish his translations of Iphigenia in Aulis. Competitors across Italy quickly copied his innovations despite his efforts to stop them. He died in Venice on 6 February 1515, having spent the latter part of his life disseminating texts he believed worth saving.