Knowra Incunable Incunable An incunable is a book printed in Europe before 1501, during the earliest period of printing with movable type. The term includes books produced before printing became a mature industry.
Printing press : A machine that applies pressure to transfer ink from a prepared surface onto paper or another material. The press made repeated impressions possible, transforming how European books were produced.
Typography : The design and arrangement of type in printed text. Type design and page arrangement shaped the appearance of incunables.
Johannes Gutenberg : A German goldsmith associated with the introduction of movable-type printing in Europe. His Mainz workshop produced the landmark early printed Bible.
Biblia pauperum : An illustrated Christian book comparing scenes from the Bible, often produced as a blockbook or with movable type. It represents the devotional, image-rich works circulating alongside scholarly editions.
History of the book : The study of books as material objects and of their production, circulation, and use. Incunables are central evidence for the transition from manuscript to print culture.
Movable type : Reusable letters and characters arranged to form text for printing. Its reusable pieces let printers reset pages instead of carving each page as a whole.
Type founding : The process of making individual metal type pieces from molds. Casting type supplied the reusable characters assembled for each printed page.
Gutenberg Bible : A Latin Bible printed in Mainz around 1454–1455, among the earliest major books produced with movable type in Europe. It exemplifies the scale and finish achieved at printing's European outset.
Nuremberg Chronicle : A large illustrated world chronicle published in Nuremberg in 1493. Its extensive woodcut illustrations demonstrate the ambition of late incunable publishing.
Bibliography : The study and description of books, editions, and their physical transmission. Bibliographers distinguish incunable editions through type, format, and production evidence.
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