The Pile of Unidentified Comedies and Other Uncounted Books

Abstract

The final chapter continues the exploration of loss that has appeared through the book by evaluating a pile of 37 comedies left otherwise unidentified at the end of the list of books in the Galilei household at the death of Vincenzio Jr. in 1649. The chapter offers a first analysis of Galileo’s own drafts of comedies within the context of the comedies he owned and those that were circulating during his lifetime. At the same time, the comedies prompt transparency about the (un)availability, (ir)regularity, and (in)consistency of information about these books.