Quick Links
- Rare Books and Early Manuscripts in Special CollectionsThis link takes you to the Special Collections LibGuide on rare books and early manuscripts housed in the University of Chicago Library.
- The Newberry LibraryA major collection of early printed books, located on Chicago's north side.
- Chicago-Area Archives and Special CollectionsA list of archives and libraries in Chicago, including descriptions of major holdings.
Guide to Early Printed Books: Introduction
There are two main reasons why your research might lead you to work directly with early printed materials: either the texts you need are not available in more modern editions, or you are interested in the textual history of the works. This guide seeks to help you find more obscure texts that may be useful to your research, and to help you learn more about the early centuries of book printing. This guide also seeks to help you prepare for a research trip to study early books, or to help you find digital copies to study anywhere.
Searching for Texts
If you already know what you are looking for, you might find it via WorldCat or other consolidated library search portals. Many countries are working on unified online catalogs, but these may not include smaller private libraries. Rare book collections may not always be integrated into these databases, or even into the online catalogs of individual libraries. If you just want to explore what texts might be out there, these types of search engines might not be of much help. For all of these reasons, printed catalogs and bibliographies are still very important. Please consult the section on bibliographies below and on the page of the country that interests you.
Below are two of the most important online catalogs. These are great places to begin your search, but don't give up if you don't find what you're looking for right away.
- Universal Short Title CatalogA project that strives to provide collective database of all books published in Europe from the beginning of printing to the end of the sixteenth century.
- WorldCat (OCLC) This link opens in a new windowAlways a great place to start. The same edition can turn up many times, as libraries in different areas catalog books in their own language and following their own system.
Bibliographies
The University of Chicago Library contains many volumes of bibliographies that might be helpful to you in more detailed and concrete ways than online catalogs are. Since we are dealing with early printed books, even quite old bibliographical volumes can be a valuable resource. There are a wide range of bibliographies in the library’s collection, each designed for specific needs. Please see the area-specific pages of this guide for information about bibliographies in different languages.
Catalogs of large libraries can also be very helpful in getting a sense of what is available: the library holds numerous catalogs from the national libraries of Spain, France, and Britain, and from the various regional libraries of Italy and Germany.
Below, you will find a few examples of bibliographies and guides to using them in the Regenstein’s collection that may be useful to you in your research. These are just examples, so please explore on your own and don’t hesitate to contact your area librarian for further assistance.
- Renaissance Guides to Books: An Inventory and Some ConclusionsRenaissance scholars prepared bibliographies of the books available to them. Many of these early texts are available to us, but can be difficult to negotiate. This volume provides a helpful overview, making them more accessible to researchers today.
- John Bale's Catalogue of Tudor authors: An Annotated Translation of Records from the Scriptorum illustrium maioris Brytanniae... catalogus (1557-1559)An early work of English bibliography, in a modern edition with a translation into English and annotations to help make the work more accessible.
- La bibliothèque française: 1667 / Charles Sorel; édition critiqueA modern edition of Charles Sorel's 1667 bibliography, with lots of notes to aid the modern scholar.
- French vernacular books books published in the French language before 1601The result of an extensive research project at St. Andrews University in Scotland, this catalog surveyed the collections of many French municipal libraries and large collections in Paris to form this list. Also available online.
- Impresos del siglo XVIIA selective bibliography of books printed in Spain in the seventeenth century, grouped by general topic and subtopic. May be very useful if you are exploring a theme or area of research.
Visiting Libraries and Archives
Many of the libraries and archives you will wish to visit in Europe require users to perform many steps in order to access their materials. These libraries are understandably very protective of their fragile old resources, and the researcher who wishes to use them should be prepared to be patient and accommodating of the institutions' procedures. These procedures vary: some institutions require an appointment in advance, some require a researcher's card, some charge a fee. It is advisable to familiarize yourself with an institution's requirements well in advance.
If you plan to conduct research in the summer, it is also important to check if the library will be open. Many may have limited hours, or be closed entirely for part or all of August.
- Accessing the collectionsYou should be prepared with a letter from your dissertation advisor or department chair attesting to your research needs.
- Handling the booksThe books you will be using are very delicate. It is important to cooperate with the handling instructions of the libraries you visit.
- What to bring with youBe prepared to leave most of your things in a locker and have the items you bring in to the reading room searched thoroughly and repeatedly.
- Fresh from the ArchivesA site where researchers post about their experiences researching at various libraries and archives. Please add your own account of any research you conduct abroad.
Vocabulary You Will Need
- List of Latin place namesMany early printed books give the place of publication in a variety of Latin or vernacular versions, which can be confusing. For example,
“Tolosae Tectosagum,” ”Dolosa,” “Palladia,” and “Theolosianus” all refer to Toulouse. This list will help you decode the information in catalog entries. - Glossary of Common Latin Terms Found in Imprints of Early Printed BooksCompiled by Robert L. Maxwell at Brigham Young University.
- ABC for Book CollectorsJohn Carter's very helpful dictionary of book terminology.
- ColophonPublication information given at the end of the book. Usually includes place and date of printing and the printer's emblem. The information included in the colophon is usually recorded in the bibliographical listing for the work, including the Latin place name (see above).
- CodexA book with pages bound together at the spine. A codex is what we think of as a book, as opposed to a collection of loose sheets, a scroll, a tablet, or another form of preserving written documents.
- FolioA large book made from folding each sheet of paper only once before binding. Abbreviated fo or 2o in library catalogs.
- QuartoA book made by folding each sheet of paper twice before binding, resulting in four leaves per sheet. Abbreviated 4o in library catalogs.
- OctavoA book made by folding each sheet of paper thrice before binding, resulting in eight leaves per sheet. Abbreviated 8o in library catalogs.
- BroadsideA large sheet of paper printed on one side only. Usually used for posters, advertisements, calendars, and news sheets--including those announcing Columbus' voyage to the New World.
- EphemeraA term to describe items that, unlike books, are not meant to be permanent. These may include broadsides, theater programs, various kinds of publicity, and much more.
- s.n.An abbreviation of the Latin term sine nomine, meaning "without name." This abbreviation means that the work was published without the name of the printer (not that of the author).
- s.l.An abbreviation of the Latin term sine loco, meaning "without place." This abbreviation means that the work was published without the place of publication. It is often paired with s.n.
- ChapbookA pamphlet, usually printed on a single sheet or portion of a sheet, folded into a booklet of 8 to 24 pages, often illustrated with woodcuts.
- ManiculeA little hand in the margin pointing to something important.
Early Modern Orthography
Some features of orthography common to many languages in early modern Europe include:
- the tall s, which resembles an f
- the letters v and u are used interchangeably
- the letters i and j are used interchangeably
In general, spelling was not fixed at the time, and can vary greatly. During the medieval period, scribes used various contractions and abbreviations, and printers carried on using these. Each language has its own idiosyncratic usages, and each printing house had its own customs. All this can make deciphering early printed books an exciting adventure.
Each country page of this guide contains a language-specific orthography section.
- Orthographies in Early Modern EuropeThis book is strongly recommended for all early modernists. The introduction gives a very helpful overview of issues across Europe. Chapters focus on different languages, including Spanish, Italian, French, English and German. Also available online via EBSCOhost.
Learn More about Early Printing
General
- What Is a Book?: The Study of Early Printed BooksAn accessible guide to understanding early printed books and the terminology used to describe them. Organized by topics such as size, materials, bindings, facsimiles, etc. Makes the important point that different copies of a book may vary considerably. Author Joseph A. Dane has written several books on related topics.
- A Guide to Early Printed Books and ManuscriptsMark Bland's overview of early modern books and manuscripts, aimed at bibliographers. He considers paper, bindings, the writing and printing processes, and--like Joseph A. Dane in the book mentioned above--points out that one copy of a book is often not identical to the next.
- The Oxford Companion to the BookA very helpful reference, this two-volume work contains a series of short essays followed by a lengthy glossary explaining terms, events and places, and giving biographical data on important figures in printing history.
- Imagined CommunitiesBenedict Anderson's classic study on how the invention of printing is connected to the stabilization of vernacular languages and the rise of nationalism.
- Gutenberg and the Impact of PrintingDivided into sections: Gutenberg--His Life and Work, The Spread of Printing, Printing and Humanism, Popular Instruction in the Vernacular, Broadsides and the "Latest News," Printing and the Reformation, and Gutenberg Goes Electronic.
- The Coming of the Book: The Impact of Printing 1450-1800Examines the influence and the practical significance of the printed book during the first 300 years of its existence.
- Books between Europe and the Americas: Connections and Communities, 1620-1860The focus is on the English language, spanning the period from the Virginia Colony to the Abolitionst movement.
- Material Readings of Early Modern Culture: Texts and Social Practices, 1580-1730Three sections discuss specific cases of the materiality of three types of texts: letters, printed books, and manuscripts.
- Cognition and the Book: Typologies of Formal Organisation of Knowledge in the Printed Book of the Early Modern PeriodA collection of papers presented at a conference dedicated to the study of how printing affected the way people thought. Some articles are in German, some are in English.
- Consortium of European Reasearch Libraries--ResourcesCERL offers a broad array of online resources for learning more about book history and early printing.
British Isles
- Literary Folios and Ideas of the Book in Early Modern EnglandThis book examines the relationship between the format of books and their content--printing in larger folios could cause books to be perceived as prestigious. Considers, in particular, the cases of Philip Sidney, Samuel Daniel, Ben Jonson, Shakespeare, Taylor, and Beaumont & Fletcher.
- A companion to the Early Printed Book in Britain, 1476-1558Organized in four sections considering the printed book trade, the physical characteristics of the printed book, who the readers were, and the impact of printed books in the cases of humanism, the reformation, and other topics.
- William Caxton and Early Printing in EnglandA biography of the first printer in England, combined with a history of printing in England in the fifteenth century.
- Manuscript and Print in London c. 1475-1530This richly illustrated study considers the relationship between print and handwritten books in London during the earliest period of English printing.
- Reading Ireland: Print, Reading and Social Change in Early Modern IrelandA study of how writing and printing shaped the lives of people in early modern Ireland. Considers motives for reading including power, salvation, profit, and pleasure.
- The Craft of Printing and the Publication of Shakespeare's WorksConcise overviews of the invention of printing, details of the craft, and the situation in England precede a look at how this affected the printing of Shakespeare's works.
- English in Print From Caxton to Shakespeare to MiltonA catalog from an exhibition at UIUC in 2008. Helpful short essays and lovely illustrations of early printed books. Available online through EBSCOHost.
France
- La naissance du livre moderne (XIVe-XVIIe siècles)Large, beautifully illustrated volume by Henri-Jean Martin, a leading expert on early books. Considers the development of typography and illustrations and many other aspects of early book culture across Europe, but especially in France.
- Paris capitale des livres: le monde des livres et de la presse à Paris, du moyen-âge au XXe siècleCatalog of the exhibition of the same name held at the Bibliothèque historique de la Ville de Paris in 2007-8. Contains many beautiful reproductions of books from the late Middle Ages through the twentieth century, with essays and commentary.
- La réforme et le livre: L’Europe de l’impriméThis thorough study examines the influence the printed book had on the spread of the Reformation, and how the Reformation, in turn, influenced the development of printing.
- Le livre au XVIe siècle: éléments de bibliologie matérielle et d'histoireThis handbook is divided into three parts examining the manufacture, sale, and reading of the book. A very helpful guide to understanding the title pages, colophons and so on of sixteenth-century French books.
- Book and Text in France, 1400-1600: Poetry on the PageEach chapter examines a different specific instance of the relationship between printing and poetry during the Renaissance. Poets studied include Louise Labé, Maurice Scève, and Martial d'Auvergne.
Italian Peninsula
- Bound in Venice: the Serene Republic and the Dawn of the BookVivid account of what Venice was like in the second half of the fifteenth century, when it became the printing capital of Europe. Focuses on the printing house of Aldus Manutius.
- Il libro a stampa: i primordiAnthology containing writings by various experts in early books. In three sections: one on the origins and impact of the printing press, the second with information on printing in different regions, and the third on printing in Italy in the 1400s.
- Il libro nell'Italia del RinascimentoLovely illustrated guide to book culture and the image of the book during the Renaissance, with a central section of paintings depicting people with books. Also includes a short history of printing in Italy.
- Il libro anticoModestly illustrated, concise guide to the physical characteristics of early printed books including typography, paper and so on.
- The Books of Venice / Il libro venezianoContains presentations from an international conference on book history in Venice in 2007. Many essays on various topics, some in Italian and some in English.
- Editori ed edizioni a Roma nel RinascimentoNine essays about various specific aspects of printing in Rome, including broad topics such as the circulation of books, and detailed studies of single volumes.
- Imago libri: Musei del libro in EuropaBeautifully illustrated, informative guide to several museums dedicated to books and printing around Europe.
Iberian Peninsula
- La imprenta incunable, el nuevo arte maravilloso de escribirPocket history of fifteenth-century printing in Europe, and Spain in particular. Accessible, portable and cute.
- La imprenta y el libro en España: desde los inicios hasta el principio de las actuales técnicasA beautiful, lavishly illustrated volume with capsule histories of writing, paper, and other elements of bookmaking.
- La imprenta en los Siglos de Oro, 1520-1700A concise guide to interpreting the size, bindings, typography and so on of books printed in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spain.
- Mujeres ImpresorasThe Biblioteca Nacional's guide to women printers in Spain from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries.
- Problemas bibliográficos del libro del Siglo de OroAn overview of printing in Golden Age Spain and some of the issues that scholars should be aware of.
- Albores de la imprenta: El libro en España y Portugal y sus posesiones de ultramar siglos XV y XVIAn expansive view of the beginnings of printing in Europe, its arrival in Iberia and its voyage to the Spanish and Portuguese colonies.
- Sis segles d’edició a Catalunya: una síntesi històricaAn overview of printing in Catalunya from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries.
Germania
Ask a Librarian
Author of This Guide