Pages from Martin Luther's German translation of the Bible, published by the heirs of Hans Kraft at Wittenberg in 1584. This version of the Bible is as famous in Germany as the King James version is in England. It is a historical landmark, both in a literacy and a political sense, for it not only indicated the rise of the liberal middle class at the expense of the old fuedal and ecclesiastical aristocracy, but also fixed the norm of literacy expression in German speaking countries. Luther, apparently realizing the tremendous importance of his task, was scrupulously careful in choosing the forms and vocabulary of his "Germeindeutsch" in order to produce a homogeneous native work. In this he was so successful that he may be said to have endowed Germany with a uniform literary language. Many of the illustrations of this edition were taken from Lufft"s editionof 1550. These were designed by Hans Brosamer of the Saxon school(whose most illustrious artist was Lucas Cranach), while the work of Brosamer's collaborators is no whit inferior. The type face used in this edition is typically Germanand is known as Fraktur.

This original minuature painting of the passion of Jesus Christ is from a hand written Ethiopian Bible. The book was produced and illustrated on vellum about 1490 A.D. The brilliant colors and striking Byzantine characteristics are typical of this era and type of book.

This page, from a Latin version of the Bible, was printed for Antonius Koberger of Nuremburg by Johannas Marion at Lyons in 1520. The type of employed here is a modifid gothic which had been in high favor for several decades. The woodcut illustrations were made especially for this edition by Hans Springinkleeand E. Schoen.

Icones Veteris Testamenti, or ilustrations of the Old Testament, from designs by Holbein. The book these pages are from was one of the creations of William Pickering and printed by Charles Whittingham, who, with his nephew, conducted the famous Chiswick Press and bears the imprint, London, 1830.

Illustrated pages from an old testament edition of the Bible printed in Polish.

The Biblia Picturis Illustrata, printed in Paris in 1540 by Pierre Regnault, was one of the many popular editions of the Bible brought out in the 16th century. The woodcut illustraions on this page are the work of Iohannes Frank, a pupil od Hans Holbein.

Pages from Fasciculus Temporum, an early outline of history from the creation of the world to about 1480. Werner Rollewinck, a prolific scholar who finished his days in a Carthusian monestary, was the author of this work, which went through several editions. The first of these was printed by Arnold Ther Hoeren in Cologne in 1474, the specimen here shown being from the fifth edition of Erhard Ratdolt, which he brought out in Venice in 1485. All editions, it may be noted, are almost equally scarce. Prominent rulers and events are placed for emphasis in double circles, which are cut from wood, like the illustrations. The latter show a primitive vigour of line which is characteristic of the best xylographers of the period. The artist, as willl be seen, has made a crude attempt at shading, which his successors so soon refined into the delicate treatment of light and shade known as "colour." The small gothic type employed, while lacking in legibility, gives a fine massed effect, which is perhaps the most outstanding feature of all early printed books.

A woodcut illustration from a theological work of the late fifteenth century. The plate portrays a groups of Jewish scholars discoursing over a passage in the scriptures. Note the touch of color on the lips of the figures. Picture books, such as this were extremely popular and some of the finest artists of the day - masters like Albucht Durer and Hans Holbien amoung others, devoted themselves to such illustrations.

Two illustrated pages from the book of Exodus. The Bible these two pages were taken from was produced in Northern Italy ca. 1650. The paintings are done in pastel water color shades typical of the period.

A fine leaf from an early 14th century illuminated manuscript breviary. This page is typical of it's period, both in size and formation of it's initial letters, as well as the colors employed. It is the work of a monastic scribe and a illuminator. The blue used is probably made of encrusted lapis lazuli, prepared by gringding the stone into a powder and combining the dust with the white of an egg. The red ocher is similarly prepared. The gold has been burnished to make it shine.

A page from a Spanish Antiphonary dated 1600. A typical book done at a time when fine calligra[hy had succumbed before teh onslaughts of typography.

A Persian miniature painting of the 17th century depicting human figures in art.

Pages from a Sanskrit manuscript, written in the North of india, probably towards the end of the 18th or early 19th century. Although the title of this manuscript has been lost, examination shows it to be of a religious and astrological character.

Pages from a Javanese manuscript of the nineteenth century - the History of Rama, rendered into modern Javanese from Kavi, the old literature of the Island, which consisted largely of hindu mythology, modified and localized by patriotic scribes. The Javanese language is commonly understood to mean that spoken in teh central, populous part of the island. While it ranks as one of teh most cultivated of teh Malay Polynesian tou=ngues, philogists have difficulty in tracing its origin, partly owing to the scarcity of its early literature, and party to the intermixture of other languages; Sanskrit on the one hand, and on the other, Malay, Arabic, and Sudanese.

This leaf, printed in Tokyo, Japan in 1789, is from a ten volume pictorial work of general information, especially adapted to children. The descriptive text, a running commentary on the illustrations, reproduces a cursive script, which consists of Hirogana, the more popular of the two Japanese syllabaries known as Kana.

Pages from a Chinese Book of Rubbings, consisting of portraits of leading statesmen, philosophers, scholars, etc., with brief eulogies prepared by Sung Yun, and dated 1827. "Illustratious deeds come only from virture," reads the forward in huge characters covering four pages. The portrait sketch has a statuary quality, traditional to Chinese tablet engraving, and the calligraphy is in the best "modern style, which, by the way, has been in use for more than eight centuries.

A German translation of Livy, printed at Strassburg by Theodosius Rihel in 1596. Livy was the most popular Roman historian during the Renaissance in Europe, and his works were published in almost every country that possessed a printing press. Furthermore, each translation ran into many editions, usually with illustrations. The artist who illustrated tRihel's Livy was Tobias Stimmer, a follower of Durer, whose influence is plainly seen in these woodcuts, although the austere strength has been reduced by over elaboration and excessive detail.

Portraits et Vies des Hommes Illustres, par Andre Thevet, Angoumoysin, Premier Cosmographe du Roy. From the press of Kervert and Chaudiere, Paris 1584. The complete work contains nearly 700 folios with a wealth of portraits. Engraving on copper, which had long flourished in Germany and the low countries as well as in Italy, was at this period coming into vogue in Paris.

De Aquatilibus, by Pierre Belon, a famous physician and traveller. Since he has based much of his matter on individual investigation, and was not content with merely citing classical authorities, Belon may be considered the earliest ichthyologist, a zoologist who studies fish. De Aquatilibus was printed by Charles Stephanus, son of Henry Stephanus, founder of the house, at Paris in 1553.

From Symbolicarum Quaestionum de Universo Genere, a treatise on symbols and emblems by Achille Bocci, published by the Society of the Press at Bolgna in 1574. The illustrations are by Giulio Bonasone, a well-known painter and engraver of that city, who was strongly influenced by his predessor Raphael. The text on the reverse side of the illustrations is printed in italic, with headings in roman capitals.

L'Isole Piu Famose del Mondo, a description of the world's most famous islands, by Tomaso Porcacchi da Castiglione of Arezzo. Published by Simon Galignani and Girolamo Porro at Venice in 1576. It was Porro who did the engraving, but Porcacchi was probably responsible for the cartography. The engraver has anticipated the process of stipple engraving, which was to become popular two canturies later. It involved using a punch to to produce the effect of water, thus contrasting it with the land. The "World's Most Famous Islands" is amusingly incomplete as it omits; Japan, Java, Greenland, and Australia while giving extra importance to the tiny islets of teh Aegean Sea.

Unknown work

Navis Stultifera, a Latin version of the satirical German poem, Das Narrenschiff, or the Ship of Fools, by Sebastian Brant, translated into Latin Verse by Jacob Locher, a poet and playwright of the early Renaissance. Printed by Nicolaus Lamparter at basle in 1506. The Ship of Fools, though it originated in the mediaeval conception of the fool who figured so largely in pageants and morality plays, reflects a transitional period in popular thought. The fool is no longer an abstraction like the Rake and Harlot of Hogarth, he is a man indulging in a particular sin or vice.

Taken from the column of the Roman emperor Trajan. Alfonso Ciacon, a Spanish scholar and divine, wrote the description. The engravings were made by Francesco Villamena who followed not only the reliefs on the columns but also a previous series of reproductions by Giulio Romano, Raphael's foremost pupil. Printed by Jacobus Mascardi at Rome in 1616.

Translated into Dutch from the Latin of Ludolphus of Saxony, a Carthusian monk, and printed by Peter van Ghelen at Antwerp in 1618. The work consists of passages from the Scriptures, prayers and pious meditations.

The complete work contains a description of the Turkish Empire, Egypt, The Holy Land, the remote parts of Italy, and islands adjining. Printed for Robert Allot at London in 1627 in four volumes. The maps contained in the work, while not always accurate, are quite detailed.

A laudatory exposition of the grandeur of teh Spanish. This is a typical example of Spanish copper plate engraving of the seventeenth century.

A pictorial history of the Netherlands as seen in coins and medals. The book was printed in Amsterdam in 1690 by Pieter Moetier.

Engraved on 125 copper plates in Antwerp in 1649 for and by Jean Meyssens. The books was printed in 1694

Milton's epic poem was begun at the start of the restoration, and although this analysis of his life of lost ideals was planned in 1640, it was not completed until 1665. It was first published in 1667 in ten books. For Paradise Lost, Milton received five punds as the intitial payment and five pounds additional on the sale of the first three editions, with each edition reaching 1500 copies. In addition to the total of ten pounds for his work, Milton's widow settled all claims on the publication for eight pounds, a total of eighteen pounds for nearly a decade of work producing a classic in English literature.

Printed by J. Davis for C. Taylor in London, 1792

By Joseph Kasabi Ben Nissam and published by his grandson, Moses Kasabi in Constantinople, 1736.

Translated into English verse by Nicholas Rowe and printed for Jacob Tonson in London, 1718.

A collection of copper engraved portraits of the kings of France from Pharamond to Louis XV.

A popular travel set typical of the commercial publishing that reached enormous proportions before the end of the 18th century. Printed by Thomas Astley a London in 1745.

Done in chrome lithography and colored by hand. It represents an ecclesiastic of the Roman Catholic Church. Fom the press of H. Jannin in Paris, 1830.