Special Collections, University of Otago Library, houses 42 examples of pre-1501 early printed books that represent 15th century printmanship from Italy, Germany, Switzerland and France.

The prime purpose of this descriptive list is to raise the awareness of the existence of these books in New Zealand (and at the University of Otago, Dunedin) and encourage scholarly use in them. Like their vellum counter-parts, the medieval manuscripts, these survivors of a bygone age have their own distinct beauty and specific usefulness, be it textual or physical.

Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Dr Christopher de Hamel (Parker Library, Cambridge); John Goldfinch (British Library); Dr Falk Eisermann (State Library, Berlin); Bettina Wagner (State Library, Bayer); and Anthony Tedeschi (Dunedin Public Library).

Contact:
special.collections@otago.ac.nz

Comprehensive hand-list:

Incunabula in Special Collections, University of Otago Library (5MB in PDF format)

 

1. Alphonsus de Spina, Bp. of Orense, d. 1469
Fortalitium fidei
Basel: Bernhard Richel, before 10 May 1475

2. Astesanus De Ast, d. 1330?
Summa de casibus conscientiae
[Strassburg: Johann Mentelin, not after 1473]

3. Augustinus, Aurelius, Saint, Bishop of Hippo
Opus quaestionum
Lyons: Johannes Trechsel, 25 April 1497

4. Aurelius Victor, Sextus
De viris illustribus urbis Romae
Rome: Stephan Plannck, 26 January 1492

5. Bartholomaeus Anglicus, 13th cent
De proprietatibus rerum
[Lyons]: Petrus Ungarus (Pierre Hongre), 21 November 1482, 'die vero nouembris XXI, 1482'

6. Biblia. (German)

Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 17 February 1483

7. Biblia latina (Vulgate)
Biblia Latina cum postillis Nicolai de Lyra [with additions by Paulus de Sancta Maria and others]
Venice: [Johannes Herbort, de Seligenstadt] for Johannes de Colonia, Nicolaus Jenson et Socii, 31 July 1481

8. Boccaccio, Giovanni
Genealogiae deorum
Venice: Manfredus de Bonellis, de Monteferrato, 25 March 1497

9. Saint Bonaventura, ca. 1217-1274
Opuscula, pars I
Strassburg: Printer of the 1483 Jordanus de Quedlinburg, i.e. Georg Husner, 1495

10. Bernardinus de Busti
Mariale
Milan: Leonardus Pachel, 21 May 1493

11. Johannes Cassianus, ca. 370 - 435
De institutis coenobiorum
Basel: Johann Amerbach, 1497

12. Cyprianus
Opera
Stuttgart, Printer of the 'Erwahlung Maximilians', about 1486

13. Eusebius Caesariensis
Historia ecclesiastica
Mantua: Johannes Schallus, [not before 15] July 1479

14. Formularium procuratorum et advocatorum Curiae Romanae

Basel: [Michael Furter?], 10 March 1493

15. Robertus Holkot, d. 1349
Quaestiones super IV libros Sententiarum
Lyons: Johannes Trechsel, 5-20 April 1497

16. Leonardus de Utino, 15th cent
Sermones de sanctis
Speyer: Peter Drach, 9 February 1478

17. Lucanus, Marcus Annaeus
Pharsalia
Venice: Nicolaus Battibovis, 13 May 1486

18. Mayno, Jason de
Oratio apud Alexandrum VI habita pro Mediolanensium principe
[Pavia: Printer of Butigella, after January 1493], also recorded as [Franciscus Girardengus, about 1494]

19. Mayno, Jason de
Epithalamion in nuptiis Maximiliani et Blancae Mariae
[Milan: Philippus de Mantegatiis, Cassanus, after 8 September 1494]

20. Mayno, Jason de
Oratio in funere Hieronymi Torti habita
[Pavia: Johannes Andreas de Boscho, Michael and Bernardinus de Garaldis, about 1495]

21. Marchesinus, Johannes
Mammotrectus super Bibliam
Venice: Franciscus Renner de Heilbronn and Nicolaus de Frankfordia, 1476

22. Matthaeus de Cracovia
De modo confitendi et puritate conscientiae
[Speyer: Printer of the 'Gesta Christi', about 1472]

23. Mesue, Johannes (Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh), d. c.855
Opera medicinalia. Add: Petrus de Abano: Additiones ad practicam. Franciscus Pedemontanus: Complementum. Nicolaus Salernitanus: Antidotarium, Quid pro quo, Synonyma. Abulcasis: Liber servitoris de praeparatione medicinarum simplicium (Translated: Abraham Tortuosiensis. Edited: Simon a Cordo)
Venice: [Peregrinus de Pasqualibus, Bononiensis] for Dionysius Bertochus, 21 December 1484

24. (Mirabilia Romae vel potius) Historia et descriptio urbis Romae.
Add: Pseudo-Aegidius Romanus: Oratio de S. Veronica. Indulgentiae ecclesiarum principalium urbis Romae
Rome: Eucharius Silber, 12 September 1499

25. (Mirabilia Romae vel potius) Historia et descriptio urbis Romae. Add: Pseudo-Aegidius Romanus: Oratio de S.

Rome: Stephan Plannck, 15 November 1499

26. Nicolaus de Orbellis
Expositio super textu Petri Hispani
Parma: Damianus de Moyllis and Johannes Antonius de Montalli, 30 April 1482

27. Peregrinus
Sermones de tempore et de Sanctis
Strassburg: Johann Prss], 1493

28. Petrarca, Francesco
Opera Latina
Basel: Johann Amerbach, 1496

29. Pope Pius II, 1405-1464 (formerly Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini)
Epistolae familiares
Lyons: Jean de Vingle, 8 November 1497

30. Plinius Secundus, Gaius Caecilius (Pliny, the Younger)
Epistolae
Rome: Eucharius Silber, [between 19 March and 3 April] 1490

31. Schedel, Hartmann
Liber chronicarum
Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, for Sebald Schreyer and Sebastian Kammermeister, 12 July 1493

32. [Scriptores rei rusticate] [Cato. Varro. Columella. Palladius]
Reggio Emilia: Dionysius Bertochus, 18 September 1496.
Edited by Philippus Beroaldus, after Merula and Colucia

33. Strabo
Geographia, libri XVI
[Venice]: Johannes Rubeus Vercellensis, 28 January 1494/95. Translated by Guarinus Veronensis and Gregorius Tiphernas; edited by Antonius Mancinellus

34. Theophylactus
Enarrationes in Epistolas S. Pauli
Rome: Ulrich Han (Udalricus Gallus), 25 January 1477. Translated by Christophorus de Persona.

35. Turrecremata, Johannes de
Quaestiones Evangeliorum de tempore et de sanctis
Brescia: Angelus Britannicus, 2 June 1498

36. Turrecremata, Johannes de
Quaestiones Evangeliorum de tempore et de sanctis
Basel: Johann Amerbach, not after 28 September 1481

37. Ubertinus de Casali
Arbor vitae crucifixae Jesu Christi
Venice: Andreas de Bonetis, 12 March 1485

38. Urbanus (Bolzanius) Bellunensis
Institutiones Graecae grammaticae
Venice: Aldus Manutius, Romanus, January 1497 [i.e. 1497 or 1498] 'mense Ianuario'.