Background and philosophy
He took part in daily activities at the printer’s from a tender age where he enjoyed composing, making up pages and using the little Boston press. As he grew, he helped his father with lithography, the press, stone and printing plate. He was particularly fascinated by colours and delighted in combining plain backgrounds, four colour reproductions and different fonts in his relentless search for nuances to embellish or improve printed matter. As a youth, he was an apprentice in Germany in the great printing machinery factories and the best graphic arts companies, each with their own technical colleges and departments. The German printing industry incorporated skill and state-of-the-art technology into what had previously been a vocation.
Ricardo J. Vicent firmly believes that books will continue to be irreplaceable in the transmission of knowledge, as an aid to voicing opinion and a safeguard to man’s freedom by stimulating and exercising the reader’s imagination. The books listed in our catalogue are facsimiles of manuscripts, incunabula and antique books: the original works - sole copies in some cases - being understood to belong to the heritage of mankind. As we stand at the turn of the century, approaching the year 2000 and on the threshold of the third millennium, in the belief that books will remain in the hands of a chosen few, we want our editions to be a tribute to the printers and publishers of bygone ages. We strive to make each volume that comes off our presses a gem prized by collectors and the world’s greatest libraries alike. True to our family’s traditions and beliefs, we too, the fifth generation of this family of printers and publishers, are now dedicated members of the printing and publishing world. Ricardo, Ana María, Amparo and Pablo Vicent - García
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Since his earliest
days, Ricardo J. Vicent has been a great admirer of Gutenberg and his
marvellous invention. He was born in the ancient city of Valencia, a city
steeped in history where printers were traditionally the aristocracy amongst
craftsmen. Generation after generation of printers and publishers in his family
since 1860 have made the printshop part of their home and the very soul of
family life.
Ricardo J. Vicent has been
active as a printer and publisher constantly since 1959, during which time the
books published by the team of printers under his management have received
worldwide acclaim. The many distinctions awarded to Ricardo J. Vicent by the
printing and publishing world include the noteworthy City of Mainz award in
1992 and the Gutenberg Award from the International Gutenberg Society.
E.Mail: Vicent García Editores, S.A.