Early Printed Books

Early Printed Books focuses on what was unique about books printed during the hand-press period—those features particular to works printed between 1450, when the printing press began to be developed, and 1800, when the machine press began to take its place. On this site you’ll find images showing details like title pages, woodcuts, signature marks, volvelles, and more. And if you’re looking for pedagogical exercises to use in teaching with old books, or resources for further study, those tools are there as well. 

The site is run by Sarah Werner. She is a book historian and digital media scholar based in Washington, DC. She worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library for nearly a decade as Undergraduate Program Director and as Digital Media Strategist. In her role as the former, she was responsible for founding and leading the semester-length program for students doing advanced research on books and early modern culture. Her book and this website grew out of that teaching experience.