Abstract

What was the impact of the construction of the imperial book regime on the Italian Peninsula? This article aims to develop a reflection upon the evolution of publishing geographies and practices in the early nineteenth century. While the first part of the article analyses the practices and values around which this transformation took place, with an emphasis on the negotiating skills of the players involved, the second part endeavours to show that the success of this reform lies in the fact that it was the culmination of the profound transformations that took place at the end of the eighteenth century, leading to changes in the book trade and the affirmation of a new role for the printer. Lastly, these two elements help us to understand the logic behind the construction of publishing efforts within these departments, as well as, more broadly, the new geography of knowledge in Napoleonic Europe.