Repertorio Della Letteratura Biblica a Stampa in Italiano (1463-1650)

This catalogue collects Italian biblical works issued from the beginning of print to the middle of the 17th century. The abundant literature had multiple uses: the transmission of the sacred text, its interpretation, preaching, religious education, and devotional uses (meditation and prayer). It was also used as a foundation of learning and general knowledge, ethics, professional practices (i.e. in medecine and politics), domestic piety and everyday life, as well as literary and theatrical entertainment. This catalogue will help to reconstruct the access to the Bible by Italian lay people. It contributes to the historiographical debate on how Italians could read the Bible after the ban of biblical translations. It represents an extremely rich source of information for future research about authorship, readership and the very nature and use of this production, shedding light on forgotten bestsellers of Italian Renaissance.