Antonio Possevino

As we have learned from Rudolph M. Bell's book How to do it,  the idea of a step by step guide to living, working, loving, or any other aspect of life was not founded recently.  In fact, these "how to do it" manuals have been popular for many years, including during the Renaissance.  According to Bell, over 1,000 "how to" guides had been published by the year 1600 (Bell 6).  Of these publishing's, guides to moral, spiritual, and sexual life had been popular among readers.  In particular, the writing of Antonio Possevino addressed the ideological perspectives faced by society during the Renaissance and also compiled information into a successfully published book.

Possevino's  Bibliotheca Selecta is a guide of sorts that challenged orthodoxy and the ideological background of Rome (online source).  It also covers, in detail, ideas of theology and scholastic advice, along with other controversial subjects (online source).  Possevino uses interpretations from his own beliefs along with the works of other Jesuit missionaries to complete his work, and give a comprehensive assessment to all subjects covered by his writings (online source).  By viewing this image of the Bibliotheca Selecta, we can see that it was printed using a printing press.  According to Bell, this article was first published in 1593, and was mass produced for readers many years after that (bell 6).  Indeed, this is an image that provides a look at the birth of some of the first "how to" manuals, and presents a question as to how readers might have used such reading for their own lives.


Sources:

Rudolph M. Bell, How to do it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliotheca_selecta