Quarto.  Sign. *, aa, bb^8, cc^{10}, a-h^8, i^4, k-z, A-Q^8. 8 unnumbered preliminary leaves containing title, privilege of Leo X. countersigned by P. Bembo, papal secretary, preface of the editor, Fra Giocondo, addressed to Leo X., Aldus lectori (two epistles, the first relating to the position of the De arboribus of Columella, an independent treatise, in previous editions inserted in his De re rustica as liber lii, but here correctly placed after that work, the second, to the hours of Palladius, varying in length with the seasons, and the use of the gnomon in determining them), errata; 26 unnumbered leaves (preceded by a second title with anchor and mention of the privileges of Alexander VI., Julius II. and Leo.  X.) containing explanations of unfamiliar words and table of contents, last leaf blank; 308 numbered leaves of text, Sign. * is not included in the register on fol. 308^a and being followed by a second title-page its absence, if accidentally omitted, might pass unnoticed.  Italic letter, 39 lines to the page, six- to seven-line spaces with guide-letters left for the initials of the thirty books, which in the present copy are supplied in gold and colors.  Numerous paragraph-marks in alternate red and blue.  Ruled in red.  Renouard, p. 66.  Firmin-Didot, p. 370.

The italic type of Aldus, a cursive or semi-cursive roman, the counterpart of his cursive Greek, was modeled as he himself informs us on the handwriting of Petrarch a lettra per lettra.  It first appeared in the Vergil of 1501, the first of his octavo series of classics and only three months later, as was but just, in Le cose volgari of Petrarch.  It had at the outset, corresponding to the Greek ligatures, many double letters and even groups of three cast on the same body, which were for the most part eliminated later by Paulus Manutius.  Originally it consisted only of lower-case letters and borrowed the capitals of the roman font, using for economy of space small capitals which DeVinne points out as the useful invention of Aldus.  Aldus was sensible of the deficiency and the last clause of his will was a request to his partner, Andrea, to have suitable capitals made by the celebrated engraver, Giulio Campagnola.  It was, however, not until 1558 that they were finally supplied by Paulus, in connection with a new italic font.  What has now ceased to be anything more than a useful auxiliary type was by Aldus employed as a text type, a chief recommendation being that it was more condensed than the roman and enabled him to greatly reduce the price of his books by making an octavo do the work of a quarto or folio.  In 1501 he printed six, and in 1502 eleven octavos, whereas all his earlier books, with one unimportant exception, had been of the larger forms.

In 1496 the Venetian Senate granted to Aldus protection for his Greek type and the books printed with it for the period of twenty years, and in 1502 a like privilege covering both his italic and Greek type for ten years.  A similar grant made by Alexander VI. in 1502 was renewed by Julius II. in January, 1513, for fifteen years and confirmed by his successor, Leo X., in December of the same year.