★Published in Italian and English. 2021 is the 700th anniversary of Dante's death!
★This series gives you the opportunity to walk into the library of the Medici family, the most prosperous Italian family, and experience the cultural accumulation and historical precipitation since the Renaissance!
★This series is the exhibition catalog of the exhibition project "Library Exhibition" curated by the Florence Lorenzo Library. The project displays selected manuscripts and printed works on related topics in the Lorenzo Hall. All exhibits are from the library. Rich collection resources. Through these rich and interesting art exhibitions, antique books that are usually only accessible by professional scholars can meet the public.
★The themes of the exhibition are rich and varied, including animals, text symbols, medical health, ancient civilization, text book format, etc.

Lorenzo Library is a historic library in Florence, Italy. It houses more than 11,000 manuscripts and 4,500 early printed books. It was built in the San Lorenzo Basilica of the Medici family and was funded by Pope Clement VII, who was born in the Medici family. The library was established to emphasize that the Medici family was not only a pure businessman, but also a member of the intellectual and religious circles. The building of the library was designed and built by Michelangelo and belongs to Mannerism.

The series include 11 titles:
Imaginary Creatures
Animalia. Men and Animal Care
The World of the Aztecs. In the Florentine Codex
Díaita. The Rules of Health in the Manuscripts of the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana
Le Vie delle Lettere. La Tipografia Medicea tra Roma e l’Oriente
Consilioque Mnuque. Surgery in the Manuscripts of the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana
The books of Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici. Personal Manuscripts and Volumes for Michelangelo’s Library
The Shape of the Book. From Roll to Codex (3rd Century BC–19th Century AD)
Unexplored Treasures. The University of Florence Libraries on Display
Dante’s Visualizations. In the Laurentian Manuscripts of the Commedia (14th–16th Centuries)
Women’s Voices. The World of Women in the Laurenziana Collections

On April 1st, 2007, the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence held a display on the theme of "Imaginary Creatures" (from April 1st to July 15th and September 2nd to December 31st, 2007), which is the first exhibit of the challenging program, “Library on Display”. The displayed selection of manuscripts and printed works of the theme are rich resources from the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, which are usually accessible only to specialized scholars.

The main thread of the display is the presence of imaginary creatures in manuscripts and printed works, with nineteen manuscripts and nine printed samples in Latin, Greek, Popular Latin, and Persian from the late twelfth to the late eighteenth century. Images of mermaids, forest gods, dragons, centaurs, phoenixes, unicorns, serpents, winged horses, wizard lions, and minotaurs were applied to illustrate words or enrich book packs. Therefore, we can see the collections from simple monochrome paintings to the great masterpieces of miniatures in 15th century by masters specialized in lines, colors and details, and finally to precious porcelain vases, woodcuts, engravings and printed works in 16th century.

This book is the catalog of the display on the theme of "Imaginary Creatures", presented by the director of La Biblioteca Universitaria / Franca Arduini, and describes the things of the display in two parts (manuscripts and printed works). The book reproduces the collections at the time, with many details that are not accessible to ordinary visitors and many beautiful images that are accompanied by short descriptions.