Introduction to the study of incunabula

Introduction to the study of the earliest printed books through a critical discussion of the methods and techniques available to incunabulists.

Topics include: the invention of printing; the most important catalogues, their aims, strengths and weaknesses; the interpretation of colophons; books as physical objects providing evidence of how the printers of incunabula worked (vellum, paper studies, formats, atherings; signatures,the identification of type and printing house practices); illustration, lay-out and texts; decoration; distribution; early provenance and later collectors.