Houghton-Medieval Studies Workshop in Early Book History

Houghton Library and the Standing Committee on Medieval Studies present "Incunabula from Bavaria at Harvard," a hands-on workshop by Bettina Wagner, Director of the Staatsbibliothek Bamberg in Germany.

In the 19th century, numerous incunabula came onto the antiquarian market as a result of the dissolution of monasteries in Southern Germany. In Bavaria, the holdings of monastic libraries were centralized in Munich, but large quantities of books were sold off as duplicates and dispersed. Harvard College benefitted from many bequests by collectors who had bought at such sales, and thus numerous incunabula with Bavarian provenances are present in the library. Identifying provenances and placing books in their former collection contexts is a challenging task, and we will examine some interesting books and discuss their functions for earlier owners.

"Incunabula from Bavaria at Harvard" will be offered in the morning and once in the afternoon, and space is limited. Please register for one session only. 

Registration required for workshops.

For the morning session, please click here: Morning Session.

For the afternoon session, please click here.

Dr. Bettina Wagner, director of the State Library in Bamberg, Germany, is one of the world’s leading experts on early printed books. Her workshop offers a hands-on occasion to learn how historians of all stripes can glean valuable information from the earliest European printed books. Together with her lecture on Hartmann Schedel, an instrumental figure in the publication of the Nuremberg Chronicle, these events represent an opportunity not to be missed.