Life of St. Augustine : in Latin

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Life of St. Augustine : in Latin

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Summary

This pictorial life of St. Augustine originally comprised 132 "chapters," each an illustration with a brief explanatory paragraph, although chapters 1-4 and 22-25 are now lacking (the two outermost bifolia of the first quire). The manuscript has been edited and reproduced in facsimile, it's possible sources studied in detail (see Courcelle), although the authors of the edition can only speculate as to any direct sources of the text and illustrations. This is one of the most thoroughly illustrated Vitae Augustini known, and as such preserves many unique scenes, all of which are examined in the edition.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library

Incunabula block books are a type of early printed book that was produced using a technique called block printing, in Europe before the year 1501, before the period of time when movable type printing was first developed. Unlike movable type printing, block printing involves carving an entire page of text or images onto a wooden block, which is then inked and pressed onto paper to create a printed copy. Block printing was used to produce a variety of printed materials in the early days of printing, including playing cards, religious texts, and illustrated books. The most common use was for producing small, cheap books known as block books. Block books were typically printed on only one side of the page, with the text and images carved into the same block. Because the blocks were made of wood, they were not as durable as metal type and could only produce a limited number of impressions before they began to wear out. As a result, block books were often produced in small print runs and were not widely distributed.

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Date

1470 - 1485
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Source

Boston Public Library
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Copyright info

Public Domain

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medieval and early renaissance manuscripts collection of distinction
medieval and early renaissance manuscripts collection of distinction