[DCRM-L] Odd woodcut title page border

[Johnson-DeBaufre, Eric]

This has been very interesting to follow. From the sources I have consulted, Rhau-Grunenberg’s activity as a printer seems to have stopped around 1525, so finding something printed by him in 1527 would be quite a bibliographic discovery.

Like Ruth Ellen, that title page typeface looks later to me. Is it possible that the title page has been faked and printed with an earlier date? Is there any way that you can get an image of the watermarks in the title page’s paper? That might (or might not) help clarify some of the questions around its dating.

Best regards,

Eric

Eric Johnson-DeBaufre, PhD, MLIS
Rare Books and Special Collections Librarian, Watkinson Library
Trinity College
300 Summit Street
Hartford, CT 06106
860-297-4219

From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu> On Behalf Of Ruth Ellen St. Onge via DCRM-L
Sent: Wednesday, October 2, 2024 10:50 AM
To: DCRM Users' Group <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>
Cc: Ruth Ellen St. Onge <ruthellen.stonge at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Odd woodcut title page border

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Good morning, Ann,

I am wondering if this is a later facsimile edition of an imprint first published in 1527. At first glance, the typeface looks more modern to me, but I could be wrong. See for example the title page<https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb10329940?page=2,3> of this circa 1520s Martin Luther.

You may have already looked at it, but Universal Short Title Catalogue might be of help. See search results for the title + date here<https://www.ustc.ac.uk/explore?q=Auslegung%20der%20Evangelien%20%2B%201527&fqa=&fqr=&fqc=&fqt=&fqp=&fqf=&fql=&fqs=&fqd=&fqo=&fqn=&fqyf=&fqyt=&fqlo=&fqis=&fqpm=&fqpf=>.

In terms of the weird grid pattern, it looks to me like the printer was using a damaged block that was also slightly smaller than the space they were hoping to fill on the page. In order to fill up the missing space, they used a combination of smaller rectangular blocks which they possibly printed twice in two different configurations, resulting in the grid pattern. I believe that the original block itself was missing the lower portion with the coat of arms. In other words, the grid pattern is not obscuring the lower half of the block, but filling in empty space (there is some overlap, which leads me to believe that the larger more elaborate block was printed first).

I hope this is helpful!

Ruth-Ellen


Ruth-Ellen St. Onge, MISt, PhD
(She/Her/They)

Distinctive Collections Cataloguing Librarian

Archives and Research Collections
McMaster University Library

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On Tue, 1 Oct 2024 at 17:09, Ann K.D. Myers via DCRM-L <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>> wrote:
Hello all,

I have an odd woodcut title page border I'm hoping someone here might have some ideas on. The book in question is Auslegung der Evangelien von Advent bis Ostrern / gepredigt durch Martin Luthern. Wittemberg : Johannes Grunenberg, 1527. I can't find any record of this title in OCLC, or in any of the reference works I currently have access to, so any tips on possible reference materials would be appreciated as well.

I've posted a photo of the title page here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/y7o4c1o56BCaoTQPA The woodcut border has clearly been altered, perhaps to cover some content in the lower portion? It almost looks like there may have been a coat of arms that was being hidden? But I can't figure out how or why that grid-like pattern was created. Has anyone else seen anything like this? I'm also wondering if the border block may have been reused from another edition or publication?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

--Ann



Ann K.D. Myers

Senior Rare Books Cataloger

Stanford Libraries

Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives

415 Broadway, Floor 1, 8406

Redwood City, CA 94063

akdmyers at stanford.edu<mailto:akdmyers at stanford.edu>

any pronouns
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