Introduction. The development of the book market and book collecting in the sixteenth century

The international conference Selling and collecting: printed book sale catalogues and private libraries in early modern Europe, that it took place in Cagliari in September 2017, introduced to some greater projects and researches about book sale, purchase, collection and circulation during the 16th century. The essay presents the most important topics of the conference, identifying in two areas: the commercial book trade, with its essentially economic features, and the private collecting both as expression of cultural interest at the time and as characteristic element of strong relationships between customers and sellers