History and origin of the hand-made paper in Amalfi

“History and origin of Amalfi handmade paper” is a historical book that I wrote to try to clarify once and for all at national and international level on why we find this famous “Amalfi paper” today.

The need for this clarification arises from the market which today is increasingly dirty with false information. Very often this information is falsified for the sole purpose of personal gain.

As specified in the title, the theme is the history and origin of Amalfi handmade paper.

In the book I speak of the old wealth of Amalfi, of the Amalfi paper from the hand-making process, to the economic resources and organizational skills that were there, to the industrial territory up to the artisan entrepreneurship.

With this book, our goal is to promote the knowledge and beauty of Amalfi paper and of those who make important products with Amalfi paper.

Amalfi paper was produced by paper mills while its elaboration was done by local artisans or monks who in the era of the flourishing Amalfi republic made with it other products such as books and notebooks bound completely by hand. Used for commerce, in particular for the classification of goods, or by amanuense monks etc. Let us not forget the Amalfi Tables (also known as Tabula Amalphitana or Tabula de Amalpha) whose original Latin title was Capitula et ordinationes Curiae Maritimae nobilis civitatis Amalphe, is a maritime code drawn up in Amalfi around the 11th century. It is the oldest Italian maritime statute, used throughout the Mediterranean area until the 16th century. Where do you guess it was written? Naturally inside a notebook bound by hand with Amalfi paper.

Our grandfather was the first to reintroduce this tradition of binding books by hand with Amalfi paper again here in Amalfi. Tradition that had been totally lost, why? I can’t tell you everything here, but in the book the decay of the paper mills is explained in great detail, which has gradually led to negative results including the loss of this tradition here in Amalfi.

However we try to carry on this tradition just as he left it to us. With the loom we sew the Amalfi paper by hand with cotton and a needle. Then we make the books according to the type. But we can’t tell you all the tricks of the trade! 🙂

Today, of course, with the continuous development of the online world, there are also fake products, industrial reworkings, etc. Even small businesses and companies that are born for a specific purpose and seeing the growth of the market are also sold as book producers. The problem is that not only are they not handmade and they say they are made by hand, but the materials used are also of poor quality. In fact they sell notebooks with Amalfi paper written on them, but inside is any type of paper except Amalfi paper. Naturally they sell them at a price as if there really was Amalfi paper inside and therefore people are also scammed without their knowledge.

Unfortunately, even in this small market there are these problems but we get over it because when passion guides you, everything that happens around you cannot destroy what you have done and you will continue to do good.

Don’t you think it’s right that everyone should do what he is specialized for? I do. I cannot tolerate that companies, in order not to fail or to try to have a monopoly from one day to the next, start making notebooks with Amalfi paper to make money even in your specific market niche.

In the end it has always been like this, the specialists achieve the greatest results.

I have expressed this thought publicly not only to justify the existence of this book but also in the hope that slowly these problems will disappear and once and for all a wonderful harmony will be created to leave something important in this world.

I wish you a good reading!

This post is also available in: Italian