In the year 1740 Giambattista Bodoni was born into a printing family in Saluzzo, Italy. At the tender age of 18, he was hired by the Vatican printing house, and in 1768 at the age of 28 he was appointed Director of the Press of Ferdinand, the duke of Parma. There he produced books for the wealthy aristocrats. While these books were greatly admired for their beauty and craftsmanship, the content was often inaccurate and difficult to read. His collection of typefaces was printed after his death in 1813 in a two volume set called Manuale Tipografico.