Imagine a hot summer day on the Romagna seashore, with my son kicking a ball and my wife Giulia attempting to soak up the sun. It was during this moment that I vividly recall bombarding her with questions and frantically jotting down notes on a piece of paper, in an attempt to solidify my ideas and chase the sudden vision of what would eventually become the Facsimile Finder database.
Welcome to the insightful journey into the essence and mission of Facsimile Finder, your dedicated and experienced supplier of facsimile editions. In this article, we delve into my direct experience as the founder and director, sharing with you an English translation of my recent interview with the magazine “Alumina.” This interview reflects on a pivotal moment, prompting us to revisit the genesis of Facsimile Finder and the visionary path we continue to pursue with our team today.
When and how was the idea of Facsimile Finder born?
To fully grasp how we arrived at that pivotal moment, we must take a few steps back. Several years earlier, Giulia and I had the intuition to sell facsimiles to American universities, an endeavor that was not commonly pursued in a structured manner at the time. Initially, we represented only three publishers: Aboca, Il Bulino, and Millennium Liber. After our initial attempts at selling, fueled by a touch of courage, we embarked on our first business trips to the United States, where we participated in significant trade fairs.
It was during these events that we had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with our main contacts: librarians and professors from American universities. This encounter proved crucial, as it was through listening to their experiences in searching for facsimile editions that we recognized the urgent need for a reliable intermediary who could supply them with all types of facsimile editions, whether newly published or out of print. Thus, the seed of what would later become Facsimile Finder was planted.
The next step aligned with the idea of creating a comprehensive and searchable facsimile database, now embodied in the Facsimile Finder website. I distinctly remember an event in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where individuals approached me and inquired about facsimiles of manuscripts with specific characteristics, such as historical period of origin, style of miniatures, or language. This led to a revelation: what if I developed an advanced search engine that could directly provide clients with tailored results from a vast and reliable database, allowing them to filter through thousands of facsimile editions?
Which publishers are partnering with Facsimile Finder to promote their publications? How many publishers are currently involved?
The current catalog of Facsimile Finder comprises over 240 publishers, encompassing both Italian and international sources. While only a few of these publishers are still active in the market, the majority have ceased their operations. Leveraging our comprehensive database and an advanced search engine, our aim is to offer a complete overview of the facsimile market and ensure its accessibility.
Within our database, which contains thousands of facsimile editions, many are readily available in our stock or can be ordered directly from the publishers, allowing for immediate purchase through our website.
However, numerous editions, often published years ago and typically in limited quantities, are currently out of print. Nonetheless, we strive to fulfill our clients’ needs by sourcing discontinued and exceedingly rare editions. This is made possible, primarily, through our valuable collaboration with private collectors who place their trust in us and reach out to resell their facsimiles to other clients.
How does Facsimile Finder work? What services does it offer, and what advantages does it provide to its clients?
There are two key aspects to highlight in response to this question. Firstly, the cornerstone of Facsimile Finder’s service is its website, www.facsimilefinder.com. It features an advanced search engine, the first of its kind meticulously crafted by a team of experts in the history of miniature painting. This engine enables users to search not only by traditional parameters such as title, publisher, and year of publication, but also by precise historical and artistic criteria such as period, style, place of origin, and language of the original manuscript. For example, those interested in Gothic manuscripts can swiftly browse all available facsimiles within seconds, alongside other specified criteria.
Moreover, the website is designed to distinctly separate information about the original manuscript from details about its facsimile editions. If multiple facsimiles are associated with the same original manuscript, all editions are clearly listed alongside detailed original manuscript information. The site’s richness is further enhanced by realistic photos and videos meticulously captured by our staff, offering users a precise preview of facsimiles before purchase, allowing them to envision the product before acquisition.
Secondly, Facsimile Finder comprises a dedicated team of seven individuals, along with external collaborators, all specializing in facsimiles. We provide tailored assistance to librarians and collectors, guiding them to find the most suitable editions based on their specific needs. As an independent entity from publishers, we offer unbiased opinions on the quality of various editions, prioritizing transparency and client satisfaction throughout the entire sales process.
We all know, by now, that facsimiles are useful learning tools, more and more appreciated in the academic field, and especially in the Anglo-Saxon world. Please, tell us about your experience with American universities.
Working with universities is great because it gives me the opportunity to see how facsimiles are used as research, teaching, and learning tools. The most engaging part, as far as I’m concerned, is undoubtedly the teaching aspect. According to professors and librarians, and based on my own experience, students are very enthusiastic about using facsimiles in class. For example, I have been told that during an art history course, the experience of seeing and actually touching facsimiles of original manuscripts, which they otherwise couldn’t access, is so engaging for students that they literally had to be pushed out of the classroom when the class ended. I have also heard that the use of facsimiles has persuaded students from other courses to change their career paths to art history.
In my experience with universities as an expert in facsimiles and their production, I often receive invitations to give lectures or conferences. I have spoken at Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, among others. Several years ago, I received a much-appreciated invitation to participate in a round-table discussion on the transmission of historical information. My contribution to that discussion later evolved into an essay titled “Distortion in Textual Object Facsimile Production: A Liability or an Asset?” (Published in Textual Distortion, edited by E. Treharne and G. Walker, D.S. Brewer, Cambridge 2017).
In May 2020, I also took part in the 56th International Congress on Medieval Studies organized by Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. During that event, I participated in a round-table meeting on facsimiles, where I shared insights alongside leading scholars from major American universities.
Do you also cater to a broader audience of amateurs, bibliophiles, and collectors, aside from the institutional market? If so, what proportion of your clientele does each group represent?
For years, we have supplied facsimiles exclusively to universities. However, over time, we have encountered collectors who appreciate our independence and passion for the product. They have become loyal clients and regularly purchase facsimiles from us.
Surprisingly, among our clients are also some publishers. In fact, we offer them consulting services in facsimile production. Over the years, we have collaborated with Aboca, Treccani, Salerno Editrice, Mueller & Schindler, and there are still many more projects to come.
Among the hundreds of facsimiles that you’ve handled, which one do you recall with the greatest emotion, considering both its content and the quality of the reproduction?
I am particularly attached to the Psalter of Blanche of Castile because, in my opinion, it is a wonderful facsimile, and I personally participated in its production. I had the opportunity to lay eyes on the original manuscript several times, which is treasured at the Bibliothèque de L’Arsenal in Paris. The Psalter is an amazing work of art, a true masterpiece of Gothic art that enchants the beholder with its beautiful illuminations, made incredibly vibrant by the abundant use of gold leaf. I was involved in the production of both the manuscript facsimile and its chemise, the latter being a faithful reproduction of the original opulent binding covered in blue fabric with golden lily embroideries. It is one of the oldest manuscripts produced in France in the fourteenth century to have survived to the present day.
Another facsimile particularly dear to me is the one reproducing twelve of Leonardo da Vinci’s sketchbooks on mathematics, physics, and mechanics. Once again, due to my direct involvement in the facsimile-making process, I was granted access to the original documents stored in the vault of the Banque de France. Apart from the thrill of entering a location with security measures usually seen only in movies, I vividly remember the satisfaction of comparing the facsimile print tests with the original and realizing they were nearly identical.
What is the most curious, bizarre, and unpredictable episode that has occurred during your years in this industry? Additionally, who is the oddest and most fascinating character you’ve encountered in this ever-evolving publishing industry?
Curious and bizarre episodes often occur, especially with private collectors. Sometimes, the passion for books can lead to doing something a bit crazy. A few months ago, for example, a client called to inform me that the following day, he would fly from Spain to the offices of Facsimile Finder in the Republic of San Marino to personally pick up a facsimile. And he actually did it.
As for the oddest and most interesting person we’ve had the pleasure to work with, I cannot help but think of George Cochrane. George is an American artist who transitioned from being our client, passionate about facsimile editions of the Divine Comedy, to becoming our business partner. Facsimile Finder was indeed the publisher of Cochrane’s magnum opus, which we named “The Divine Comedy – The New Manuscript.” It is an outstanding work of art that collects and summarizes the history of Dante’s iconography over the last 700 years.
The Italian version of this interview was published on Alumina 75 (October–November–December 2023).