Typographic Features and Variants of the Božidar Vuković Printing House in Venice

Abstract

Božidar Vuković’s print shop operated in Venice from 1519 to 1521 and from 1536 to 1540. It was the most productive South Slavic typography of the 16th century. Seven books were printed: Služabnik (Priest’s Service Book) 1520 (1519?), Psaltir s posledovanjem (Psalter with Additions) 1519-1520, Molitvenik (Zbornik za putnike) (Prayer Book for Travelers) 1521 (two editions), Molitvenik (Zbornik za putnike) 1536, Oktoih petoglasnik (Octoechos – the fifth voice) 1537, Praznični minej (Sabornik) (Festal Menaion) 1538, and Molitvenik (Trebnik) (Prayer Book ‒ Euchologion) around 1539. Oktoih petoglasnik and Praznični minej (Sabornik) were printed both on paper and parchment, while Praznični minej (Sabornik) also appears on blue paper. Some copies of the books printed by Božidar Vuković’s also contain colored illustrations, which are presumed to have been painted subsequently on the request of Božidar Vuković. His editions are characterized by various typographic and variant features, which are testaments to the printing process and important for the history of books and printing. The typographic characteristics and variants of Božidar Vuković’s books have yet to be sufficiently researched. An accurate description of Božidar Vuković’s editions requires special attention and comparison of copies, which should then be registered in bibliographies and catalogs.