Dissemination and nature of private libraries in Italy in the sixteenth century. A social reading of collecting. The increased quantity of books in private hands. Types and owners. The four great collectors at the end of the century: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Aldus Manutius Jr., Prospero Podiani, Gian Vincenzo Pinelli. The Pinelli library as the model of private libraries in the Republic of Letters.
