Introduction

The exhibition traces the trajectory of printing in Revolutionary Greece based on the collections of the Gennadius Library. It showcases 30 newspapers, proclamations, leaflets, broadsides, constitutions, as well as literary works and schoolbooks, published between 1821 and 1827 that document important historical moments of the Greek Revolution.

The collection of Joannes Gennadius (1844-1932) constitutes the core of the Gennadius Library, arguably the most extensive book collection on Hellenism and its brilliance through the ages. Constructed on the idea of the continuity of the Greek genius through the ages, the collection traces the history of Greek printing from its earliest stages to the early 20th century. The Enlightenment is a major part of this history, as are the printing houses that were established in Revolutionary Greece. In addition to the printed publications that this online exhibition highlights, the Library also includes primary sources, manuscripts and visual material about the Greek Revolution.

Not surprisingly, the majority of the publications of the period, i.e. newspapers, proclamations, and constitutions, served the needs of the new Administration. The first legislative codex (the Κῶδιξ τῶν Νόμων), other legal textbooks and even administrative manuals, often translated from other languages, document the attempts to organize a legislative and administrative system in the nascent Greek state.
The content of three out of the four literary works that were printed in this period, were inspired by the Revolution and served its ideological purposes. The only exception is the Lyrica (Λυρικά) by Athanasios Christopoulos. Finally, there are only two books related to schools, while the majority of educational material were produced in the printing houses of Chios and Kydonies that were essential to the Greek Enlightenment.