Mahzor of 1486. It was at his suggestion that his son Joshua Soncino took up the work of printing. Joshua Solomon b. Israel Nathan Soncino Printer at Soncino from 1483 to 1488, at Naples from 1490 to 1492. He was the uncle of Gershon Soncino. It would appear that he had most to do with starting the printing of the Talmud. Gershon b. Moses Soncino (in Italian works, Jeronimo Girolima Soncino; in Latin works, Hieronymus Soncino): The most important member of the family; born probably at Soncino; died at Constantinople 1534. He claims to have been of great assistance to the exiles from Spain, and especially to those from Portugal; and he made journeys to France in order to collect manuscripts for the works to be printed. He makes a pun upon his name by printing it as two words, "Ger Sham," referring to his many travels. In dedicating his edition of Petrarch (Fano, 1503) to Cæsar Borgia, he mentions that he had had Latin, Greek, and Hebrew types cut out by Francesco da Bologna, who is credited also with having made the cursive types attributed to Aldus Manutius. It is curious that Aldus, for his introduction to a Hebrew grammar (Venice, 1501), used the same types that had been employed by Soncino in 1492. Eliezar b. Gershon Soncino Printer between 1534 and 1547. He completed "Miklol" (finished in 1534), the publication of which had been begun by his father, and published "Meleket ha-Mispar," in 1547; and Isaac b. Sheshet's responsa, likewise in 1547. Gershom b. Eliezer Soncino Moved to Cairo circa 1550, where he established the first printing press of the Middle East. His activities are known solely from two fragments discovered in the Cairo Genizah, dating to 1557 and 1562. Moses Soncino Printer at Salonica in 1526 and 1527; assisted in the printing of the Catalonian Mahzor and of the first part of the Yalkut. List of books printed by the Soncinos See also Hebrew incunabula Early editions of the Hebrew Bible Daniel Bomberg's Publication of the Babylonian Talmud (1519-23) adopted the format created by Joshua Solomon Soncino, with the Talmud text in the middle of the page and the commentaries of Rashi and Tosfot surrounding it. Published with the approval of Pope Leo X, this edition became the standard format, which all later editions have followed. References External links Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress: Gershom