Carolina Ferraro (The Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History Polish Academy of Sciences)
This presentation centres upon the role of three key printers based in Madrid, Pedro de Madrigal, Juan de la Cuesta, and Luis Estella Sánchez, and, respectively, their widows, María Rodríguez de Ribalde, María de Quiñones, and Ana de Carasa, in the 16th -17th centuries.
Under Philip II, Madrid became a significant cultural and political location for publishers and prospective authors. Thanks to the use of the vernacular and the crucial role played by politics, the book market flourished between the 16th and the 17th century. This was the reason why the Crown started to control the circulation of books with specific legislative tools, such as tasas, privilegios, and aprobaciones. This presentation analyses their major elements.
The aforesaid printing presses played a fundamental political and social role. They reflected the everyday life of a developing society, where women played a pivotal role. In this regard, the first handbook on printing, Institución y origen del arte de la imprenta by Alonso Víctor de Paredes, commenting upon the involvement of women in publishing was frequent and had sometimes resulted in innovative outcome.