Abstract

The paper aims to examine a so far neglected field of Niccolò Zoppino’s publishing strategy: his use of marginalia. The starting point is the discovery of the first Inamoramento de Orlando published by Zoppino (1521): this book and others published by Zoppino in the same years (Asino d’oro by Apuleio, Trionfi by Petrarch, Stanze by Poliziano) show side notes in large quantities. In my opinion, the publisher has two purposes: first, to guide the reader inside the text, sometimes giving him a parallel interpretation with the notes; secondly, to proclaim the status of these books as ‘classics’. With the originality of his choises and the consciousness of his strategy, Niccolò Zoppino proves himself an exceptional figure among the publishers of his time. Moreover, once again we can see him as a pioneer: his marginalia come thirty years before the side notes of Orlando furioso.