The datasets in this collection relate to 587 Italian Academies (1525-1700), 7100 people and 911 works of the late Renaissance and early modern periods from the cities of Bologna, Naples, Padua and Siena, Venice, Verona, Mantua, Ferrara, Rome, Sicily and cities of southern Italy. The 'About' pages of the original project website include information on the design of the database and instructions for using the database.

The datasets in this collection are from a four-year, AHRC-funded project: The Italian Academies 1525-1700. The project’s initial aim was to catalogue books deposited at the British Library and published by Italian Academies in the cities of Bologna, Naples, Padua and Siena. It was later extended to include books published by Academies in Venice, Verona, Mantua, Ferrara, Rome, Sicily and cities of southern Italy. The creation of this Themed Collection aims to open up the Library’s holdings to new research on the Italian learned Academies of the late Renaissance and early modern periods and their relationship to book production, printing and publishing in this period.

There were about six hundred Academies in Italy in this period. Academies raise interesting questions about early modern Europe. For example, what was the relationship between the Academies and the Universities? Did women have a role within Academies, and if so what? What was the role of printers? How many foreigners took part in the life and publications of Italian Academies? Alongside their serious debates, Academies had a more playful aspect, which is reflected in the names and devices of the Academies and their members.

The interests of the Academies covered literature, culture and the sciences and ranged over many subjects: from astronomy to theatre, from poetry to politics, from linguistics to music, and the figurative arts. Academies published in all these and many other fields.

Membership included pioneering scientists, literary polemicists, political thinkers, and representatives of all social classes. Members of Academies adopted curious and amusing nicknames and pseudonyms.