Incunable
Also known as: incunabulum · incunabula · fifteener
- 1The term applies to works printed in Europe before 1501.
- 2It encompasses books, pamphlets, and broadsides.
- 3The period represents the earliest stages of European printing.
- 4Incunabula are considered rare due to the limited reach of early presses.
- 5The 1500 date serves as a conventional boundary for this category.
An incunable or incunabulum is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500.
Connections1
historical stylistic influence
Morris studied these early printed books from the 15th century to revive the craftsmanship and aesthetic quality of early typography.
An incunable (or incunabulum) refers to any book, pamphlet, or broadside printed in Europe during the infancy of the printing press, specifically before the year 1501. This period marks the transition from hand-copied manuscripts to the mass production of printed materials.
Image of two facing pages from "Phisicorum", fols. 57b and 58a, with doodles and drawings. HMD Collection, WZ 230 M772c 1485Wikimedia Commons: File:Phisicorum_ca._1485_..JPGIllumination with doodles and drawings (marginalia), including an open-mouthed human profile, with multiple tongues sticking out. Copulata, "De Anima", f. 2a. HMD Collection, WZ 230 M772c 1485Wikimedia Commons: File:Prohemium..JPGPage from Valerius Maximus, Facta et dicta memorabilia, printed in red and black by Peter Schöffer ( Mainz, 1471). The page exhibits a rubricated initial letter "U" and decorations, marginalia, and ownership stamps of the "Bibliotheca Gymnasii Altonani" ( Hamburg ).Wikimedia Commons: File:Inkunabel.ValMax.001.jpg While the cutoff date of 1500 is considered somewhat arbitrary, it serves as a useful historical marker for the early development of the printing industry. Because these items were produced before the widespread adoption of the printing press, they are inherently rare. In contrast, the volume of printed materials increased dramatically in the 16th century, making books from that later period significantly more common than those produced during the incunable era.