Early Printed Books (Europe 1450 to 1800)

This guide introduces retrospective national bibliography as a concept, and provides access to electronic retrospective bibliographies, if electronic access exists. The page Great Britain Case Study demonstrates that every electronic retrospective bibliography relies on numerous print bibliographies and catalogs. For deep research into early print output of any particular country, scholars should consult bibliographies of early print for the country, region, or language. The 500 page annotated bibliography by F. Domay amply demonstrates that studying the historic bibliographies that underlie the electronic retrospective bibliographies will provide a nuanced idea of the chronology of early modern print.

Some works that help with understanding retrospective bibliographies include:

• Domay, Friedrich. Bibliographie Der Nationalen Bibliographien =: Bibliographie Mondiale Des Bibliographies Nationales = a World Bibliography of National Bibliographies. Stuttgart: A. Hiersemann, 1987. Print.
• Kaltwasser, Franz G. Retrospective Cataloguing in Europe: 15th to 19th Century Printed Materials. 1992
• Universal Short Title Catalog (USTC) A digital bibliography of early modern print culture.
• CERL - Heritage of the Printed Book Database The HPB Database (previously called the Hand Press Book Database) is a steadily growing collection of files of catalogue records from major European and North American research libraries covering items of European printing of the hand-press period (c.1455-c.1830) integrated into one file.
• Handbuch der historischen Buchbestände in Deutschland, Österreich und Europa. 1450 to 1900.
• Early Modern Resources Early Modern Resources is a research portal for the early modern period (c.1500-1800 CE). It only lists websites that are free to access and focuses on high-quality resources that are suitable for advanced research, study and teaching.

AG Sammlung Deutscher Druck

In the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Sammlung Deutscher Drucke (AG SDD) six libraries collaborate to build a comprehensive collection of printed literature published in German-speaking countries from the beginning of letterpress printing to the present, to provide information on it, to make it accessible to the public and to preserve it for future generations.

This venture has led to the creation of a virtual national library in which the participating libraries are responsible for the following periods.

• 1450 - 1600 Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München Chair
• 1601 - 1700 Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel
• 1701 - 1800 Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
• 1801 - 1870 Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main
• 1871 - 1912 Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz
• 1913 ff.       Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

A corresponding digitization program has started, see VD 16 -  VD 17 -  VD 18

The Austrian National Library and the Swiss national Library have relevant holdings captured in the retrospective bibliography.

Bibliographie nationale française 
Founded in 1811 as Bibliographie de l'Empire français ou Journal général de l'imprimerie et de la librairie, has continued to today under various names and websites. Much of the national print output is preserved in the National Library, with a significant amount of digitization in Gallica .

A few of the more comprehensive historic bibliographies recommended by Friedrich Domay are:

• Short-title Catalogue of Books Printed in France and of French Books Printed in Other Countries from 1470 to 1600 in the British Museum. London: British Museum, 1924. Print.
• Répertoire bibliographique des livres imprimés en France au seizième siècle. (Livr. 1-6. 1968-70:) Baden-Baden: Heitz, (Livr. 7. 1971 ff.:) Baden-Baden: Valentin Koerner. Livr. 1. 1968 ff. (avec) Fasc. hors série. 1970 ff. (= BBA 25 ff.)
• Mortimer, Ruth. Harvard College Library Department of Printing and Graphic Arts, Catalogue of Books and Manuscripts: Part I: French 16th Century Books.Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1964. Print.
• Kolb, Albert. Bibliographie Des Französischen Buches Im 16.jahrhundert: Druck, Illustration, Einband, Papiergeschichte. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1971. Print
• Linet, Jacqueline, Denise Hillard, and Xavier Lavagne. Catalogue Des Ouvrages Imprimés Au Xvie Siècle: Sciences, Techniques, Médecine. München: K.G. Saur, 1980. Print.
• Lottin, Augustin M. Catalogue Chronologique Des Libraires Et Des Libraires - Imprimeurs De Paris: [depuis L'an 1470, Époque De L'établissement De L'imprimerie Dans Cette Capitale, Jusau'à Présent ...]. Amsterdam: Grüner, 1969. Print.
• Greswell, William P. Annals of Parisian Typography: Containing an Account of the Earliest Typographical Establishments of Paris; and Notices and Illustrations of the Most Remarkable Productions of the Parisian Gothic Press; Compiled Principally to Shew Its General Character; and Its Particular Influence Upon the Early English Press. London: Cadell & Davies, 1818. Internet resource. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/577136728
• Bernard, Auguste. Histoire De L'imprimerie Royale Du Louvre, Par Auguste Bernard. Paris, 1867. Internet resource. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/645121491
• Renouard, Philippe. Imprimeurs Parisiens, Libraires, Fondeurs De Caractères Et Correcteurs D'imprimerie: Depuis L'introduction De L'imprimerie À Paris (1470) Jusqu'à La Fin Du Xvie Siècle : Leurs Adresses, Marques, Enseignes, Dates D'exercice : Notes Sur Leurs Familles, Leurs Alliances Et Leur Descendance, D'après Les Renseignements Bibliographiques Et Des Documents Inédits : Avec Un Plan Des Quartiers De L'université Et De La Cité. Paris: Librairie A. Claudin, 1898. Internet resource. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/902961743
• Moreau, Brigitte, and Philippe Renouard. Inventaire Chronologique Des Editions Parisiennes Du Xvie Siecle. Paris: Imprimerie F. Paillart, 1972. Internet resource. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1149999977
• Goldsmith, V F. A Short Title Catalogue of French Books, 1601-1700 in the Library of the British Museum. Folkestone [etc.: Dawsons of Pall Mall, 1969. Print.
• Repertoire bibliographique des livres imprimes en France au XVIIe siecle. Baden-Baden: Valentin Koerner. T. 1. 1978 ff. (= BBA 75 ff.). Conlon, Pierre M.: Prelude au siecle des lumieres en France. Repertoire chronologique de 1680 ä 1715. T. 1-6. Geneve: Droz 1970-75 (= Histoire des idees et critique litteraire. Vol. 104, 115, 121, 122, 139, 146).

Belgium

There is no systematic retrospective national bibliography, but the catalog of the Royal Library of Belgium (Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, KBR can be used to explore early Belgiian print in the KBR’s Rare Books division.

The search can be guided by several historic bibliographies

• Cockx-Indestege, Elly, Bart O. Beeck, and Geneviève Glorieux. Belgica Typographica 1541-1600.: Catalogus Librorum Impressorum Ab Anno Mdxli Ad Annum Mdc in Regionibus Quae Nunc Regni Belgarum Partes Sunt. Nieuwkoop: B. de Graaf, 1968. Print.
• Rouzet, Anne. Dictionnaire Des Imprimeurs, Libraires Et Éditeurs Des Xve Et Xvie Siècles Dans Les Limites Géographiques De La Belgique Actuelle. Nieuwkoop: B. de Graaf, 1975. Print.
• Machiels, Jerome. Catalogus Van De Boeken Gedrukt Voor 1600 Aanwezig Op De Centrale Bibliotheek Van De Rijksuniversiteit Gent:. Gent: Centrale Bibliotheek, 1979. Print.
• Andreas, Desselius T. V. Bibliotheca Belgica. Nieuwkoop: De Graaf, 1973. Print.
• Foppens, Jean F, Valerius Andreas, Aubertus Miraeus, and Frans Sweerts. Bibliotheca Belgica, Sive Virorum in Belgio Vitâ, Scriptisque Illustrium Catalogus, Librorumque Nomenclatura. Bruxellis: Per Petrum Foppens, 2000. Internet resource. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/884946159

There is no single completed retrospective national bibliography for Italy. The National Library Service (Servizio bibliotecario nazionale, SBN) offers access to the following resources on its homepage

• OPAC SNB a union catalog uniting holdings information from Italian libraries: 17.998.140 bibliographic records, complete with 99.080.017 locations 
• Cataloghi storici brings together 219 historical catalogues, from 37 Italian libraries belonging to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, local authorities and cultural institutes, for a total of 6,843,454 images.
• EDIT 16 a growing collection of the editions printed in Italy and the editions printed in the Italian language abroad between 1501 and 1600. Counterfeits of Italian 16th century editions printed in subsequent centuries are also included.
• Internet Culturale provides access to digital collections from Italian libraries
• Universal Short Title Catalog (USTC) A digital bibliography of early modern print culture.

Short-Title Catalogue Netherlands.  is the Dutch retrospective bibliography for the period 1540-1800

STCV. The Bibliography of the Hand Press Book a retrospective bibliography of publications from Flanders before 1801. An overview of the project can be found in this dossier (NL).

The time period from 1470 to 1540 is covered by various print bibliographies that cover changing geographies and multiple languages in the shifting borders. The Netherlands as global political power is addressed in bibliographies with international scope.

• Short-title Catalogue of Books Printed in the Netherlands and Belgium and of Dutch and Flemish Books Printed in Other Countries: From 1470 to 1600, Now in the British Museum. London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1965. Print.

There is no formal electronic retrospective national bibliography, but the rich early print heritage is documented in numerous print bibliographies. As is true for Italy, libraries in Spain and Portugal participate in cataloging efforts across libraries that gather records from the time period.

• El Catálogo Colectivo del Patrimonio Bibliográfico (CCPB) includes the description and location of books and other bibliographic collections, deposited in public or private Spanish libraries and institutions, which, due to their age, uniqueness or wealth, form part of the Spanish Bibliographic Heritage.
• Biblioteca National de Portugal access to National Library's National Catalogue and the Portuguese Union Catalogue
• CERL - Heritage of the Printed Book Database The HPB Database (previously called the Hand Press Book Database) is a steadily growing collection of files of catalogue records from major European and North American research libraries covering items of European printing of the hand-press period (c.1455-c.1830) integrated into one file. This makes it possible for information to be retrieved in one single search across all files. As the digitisation of collections in contributing libraries progresses, more and more catalogue records point to digital presentations of the early printed books.
• Universal Short Title Catalog (USTC) A digital bibliography of early modern print culture.

The Northern countries started the printing enterprise a little later than Western Europe; Denmark around 1481/82, Sweden 1483, Iceland 1534, Norway 1700s (F. Domay, p. 136).

Iceland

• National and University Library of Iceland there is no formal electronic retrospective national bibliography, but the National Library has a comprehensive heritable collection.
• Horton, John J. Iceland. Santa Barbara, Calif: CLIO, 1983. Print.
• Lidderdale, Thomas W. Catalogue of the Books Printed in Iceland from A. D. 1578 to 1880 in the Library of the British Museum. London: Clowes, 1885. Print. Willard Fiske published four additional supplements
• Fiske, Willard, and Hermannsson Halldór. Catalogue of the Icelandic Collection Bequeathed by William Fiske. Ithaca, N.Y: The Plimpton press, 1914. Print.

Denmark

• The Royal Danish Library (Det Kgl Bibliothek) publishes both the retrospective and current Danish National Bibliography In order to exploit fully the content of the Danish National Bibliography it is necessary to know the geographic boundaries of the Kingdom of Denmark from 1482 to the present. This means that books published in Norway until 1814, Scania (in present-day Sweden) until 1658, Iceland until 1944 and Schleswig-Holstein (in present-day Germany) until 1864 are included. Publications from Greenland are still included in the Danish National Bibliography while the Faroe Island maintains a separate national bibliography.

Norway

• The National Library of Norway Nasjonalbiblioteket is the new home of the National Bibliography gathers holdings from 1450 to date, and can be searched through the National Library catalog

Sweden

• National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket) In 1661, a law for legal deposit was introduced in Sweden. It means that printers are required to deliver one copy of their material to the National Library. Initially, the law was an instrument of censorship, a way for the state to control citizens. Today, it helps us to preserve Sweden's cultural treasure.

Finland

• The Finnish National Library publishes Fennica, the Finnish National Bibliography contains information on books from 1488, newspapers frorm 1711, series, maps, audiovisuals and electronic materials. It also includes prepublication data from publishers and information on materials published outside of Finland that relate to Finland or are written by a Finnish author. The database also has information on ephemera publications.