IV. Type and fleurons

Thesaurus Theutonicae linguae = Schat des Neder-duytsher spraken = Thresor du langage Bas-alman…  – Anvers: Christophe Plantin, 1573. In-4.

Plantin drew inspiration for this dictionary from his Dutch-Flemish apprenticeship and surrounded himself with four collaborators, two of whom were his correctors, Cornelis Kiliaan and Andries Madoets.

   Some 40,000 entries, printed in gothic and in bold to make them appear more distinctly, are translated into French (in roman type) and in Latin (in italics) for school children. If capitals in the section are hardly more imposing that the text, their presence in the running title still assists the researcher’s movement through the book, and the width of the columns requires briefer articles while also allowing for a more spacious ensemble.

   Apparently not satisfied with the result, Plantin left it to Kiliaan to compile new and much more accomplished dictionaries, expanded with etymology and linguistic analogies.

Cultura Fonds: LC 425