Book Collecting: A Guide for Amateurs

Chapter IV The Colophon — Title-Page — The First Book With a Date — Collating — Roman Notation — Latinised Names of Places, With Their Modern Equivalents

It must be borne in mind that the title-page of a book, though constituting a very old method of showing at a glance the nature of the contents, together with the place of publication and frequently also the date, is by no means the earliest means of attaining that object. The title-page, such as we see it, was first adopted in England in 1490, the year before Caxton’s death, having been introduced on the Continent in 1470;5 but previously—and, indeed, for some years after that date—the Colophon was in general use.

The term “Colophon” has its origin in the Greek proverb, “to put the colophon to the matter,” that is, the “finishing stroke,” and contains the place or year (or both), date of publication, printer’s name, and other particulars considered necessary at the time for the identification of the volume. It frequently commences somewhat after the following form: Explicit liber qui dicitur, &c.6 The colophon, moreover, is always found on the last page, and sometimes takes the form of an inverted pyramid. In the early days, when the printer was not unfrequently author or translator as well, the completion of a work upon which he had probably been engaged for many months—or, perhaps, in some instances, years—was rightly regarded as matter for much self-congratulation, as well as for thanks to the Divine Power, by whose permission alone he had been enabled to persevere. Hence the Psalterium of Fust and Schœffer, a folio of 175 lines to the page, and remarkable as being the first book in which large capital letters, printed in colours, were employed, has for its colophon a very characteristic inscription, which may be translated as follows:—

“This book of Psalms, decorated with antique initials and sufficiently emphasised with rubricated letters, has been thus made by the masterly invention of printing and also type-making, without the writing of a pen, and is consummated to the service of God through the industry of Johann Fust, citizen of Mentz, and Peter Schœffer, of Gernsheim, in the year of our Lord MCCCCLVII., on the eve of the Assumption”.

This Psalter is also the first known book which bears any date at all, and for that and other reasons is one of the most highly prized of volumes.

From what has been said, the reader will no doubt clearly understand that it does not follow that, because an old book is minus a title-page, it is necessarily imperfect. He should turn to the last leaf for the colophon; but should that be wanting also, it is probable that the book is deficient, though even this is not a conclusive test. In cases of doubt the volume must be collated, that is, critically compared with some other specimen: each leaf must be examined carefully, and notes made of any differences that may appear during the course of the examination. There is a business-like way and the reverse of tabulating these notes, so much so that an adept can see at a glance whether it has been performed by a competent man. The following is the collation of a copy of the first edition of the famous Genevan version of the Bible printed by Rowland Hall in 1560, 4to: “Four prel. leaves. Text, Genesis to ii. Maccabees, 474 ll. folioed, N. T. 122 leaves, ‘A Briefe Table’ HH h iii to LLl iii., 13 ll. followed by 1 p. ‘The order of the yeres from Paul’s conversion,’ &c., rev. blank.”

At first sight this may appear somewhat technical, but when a few of these collations are compared with actual copies of the works to which they refer, there will be no difficulty in understanding all the rest. The above, for instance, would read, when set out at full length, as follows: “There are four preliminary leaves, and then follows the Bible text proper, which, from Genesis to the 2nd of Maccabees, is on 474 numbered leaves. The New Testament, which follows, has 122 leaves; then comes ‘A Briefe Table,’ extending from signature HH h iii to LL l iii, and comprising 13 leaves, followed by one page, ‘The order of the yeres from Paul’s conversion,’ &c. The reverse side of this page is blank.” The words “page” and “leaf” have distinct meanings, the latter, of course, containing two of the former, unless, indeed, one side happens to be blank, as in the above example. If both sides are blank, the description would be simply “i 1 blank”.

From 1457—the date of Fust and Schœffer’s Psalter, already described as being the first printed book disclosing on its face the year of publication—until comparatively recent times, it was customary to use Roman numerals on the colophon or title-page, as the case might be. This system of notation is so well understood, or can be so speedily mastered from almost any arithmetical treatise, that it is hardly worth while to enlarge upon it here. On some old books, however, there is a dual form of the “D” representing 500, which is sometimes the cause of considerable perplexity; e.g., MIƆXL standing for the year 1540. In this example the I is equivalent to D; in fact, it would appear as if the former numeral were merely a mutilation of the latter. Again, the form CIƆ is equivalent to M or 1000. A few instances will make the distinction apparent:—

M IƆ XXIV
or M D XXIV

= 1524;

CIƆ IƆ CLXXXV
or M D CLXXXV

= 1661;

CIƆ IƆ CLXXXV
or M D CLXXXVIII

= 1685;

The only part of a title-page which gives any real difficulty to a person who has a fair knowledge of the Latin language, in which most of these old books were printed, is the name of the place of publication, which, being in a Latinised form, frequently bears but a slight resemblance to the modern appellation. Dr. Cotton, many years ago now, collected a large number of these Latin forms, partly from his own reading and partly from the works of various bibliographers who had chanced occasionally to mention them in their works, and at the present day his collection stands unapproachable in point of the number of entries, as well as in general accuracy. The use of this compilation will be apparent to those who have occasion to consult it even for the first time, while to advanced collectors, who are not satisfied with mere possession, it will be found indispensable. The title-page of a book now before me runs as follows: “Kanuti Episcopi Vibergensis Quedam breves expositõs s legum et jurium cõcordantie et allegatiões circa leges iucie”; at the foot is “Ripis, M. Brand, MIƆIIII”. The question immediately arises: Where is Ripis, the place where the book was evidently printed by Brand? The best gazetteer may be consulted in vain, for the title is obsolete now; it is, in fact, the Roman name for Riben, a small place in Denmark. In like manner, Firenze frequently stands for Florence, Brixia for Breschia, Aug. Trinob. (Augusta Trinobantum) for London, Mutina for Modena, and so on. This being the case, some kind of tabulation becomes absolutely necessary, and the best that occurs to my mind is to place the Latin titles of all the chief centres of printing in alphabetical order, and append to each the English equivalent. The date is that of the first book known to have been printed at the particular town against which it is set. As the list is not complete, and could not be made so without the sacrifice of a great deal of space, the reader is referred to Dr. Cotton’s Typographical Antiquities for any further information he may require. The omissions will be found, however, to consist, for the most part, of unimportant places, from many of which only some half-dozen books or less are known to have been issued, so that the following list will be found sufficient in the vast majority of cases:—

1486.	Abbatis Villa	Abbeville.
1621.	Abredonia	Aberdeen.
1493.	Alba	Acqui (in Italy).
1480.	Albani Villa	St. Albans.
1501.	Albia	Albia (in Savoy).
1480.	Aldenarda	Oudenarde.
1473.	Alostum	Alost (in Flanders).
1467.	Alta Villa	Eltville, or Elfeld (near Mayence).
1523.	Amstelœdamum	Amsterdam.
1476.	Andegavum	Angers.
	Aneda	Edinburgh.
1491.	Angolismum	Angoulême.
1482.	Antverpia	Antwerp.
1482.	Aquila	Aquila (near Naples).
1456(?).	Argentina, or Argentoratum	Strassburg.
1477.	Asculum	Ascoli (in Ancona).
1474.	Athenæ Rauracæ	Basle.
1517.	Atrebatum	Arras.
1469.	Augusta Vindelicorum	Augsburg.
1480.	Augusta Trinobantum	London.
1481.	Auracum	Urach (in Wurtemberg).
1490.	Aurelia	Orleans.
1490.	Aureliacum	Orleans.
1497.	Avenio	Avignon.
1462.	Bamberga	Bamberg.
1478.	Barchine	Barcelona.
1497.	Barcum	Barco (in Italy).
1474.	Basilea	Basle.
1470.	{Berona, or Beronis Villa }	Beron Minster (in Switzerland).
1487.	Bisuntia	Besançon.
1471.	Bononia	Bologna.
1485.	Bravum Burgi	Burgos.
1472.	Brixia	Breschia.
1475.	Brugæ	Bruges.
1486.	Brunna	Brunn.
1476.	Bruxellæ	Brussels.
1473.	Buda	Buda.
1485.	Burgi	Burgos.
1484.	Buscum Ducis	Bois-le-duc.
1478.	Cabelia	Chablies (in France).
1480.	Cadomum	Caen.
1475.	Cæsar Augusta, or Caragoça	Saragossa.
1484.	Camberiacum	Chambery.
1521.	Cantabrigia	Cambridge.
1497.	Carmagnola	Carmagnola.
1622.	Carnutum	Chartres.
1494.	Carpentoratum	Carpentras.
1486.	Casale Major	Casal-Maggiore.
1475.	Cassela	Caselle (in Piedmont).
1484.	Chamberium	Chambery.
1482.	Coburgum	Coburg.
1466.	Colonia	Cologne.
1466.	Colonia Agrippina	Cologne.
1466.	Colonia Claudia	Cologne.
1460.	Colonia Munatiana	Basle.
1466.	Colonia Ubiorum	Cologne.
1474.	Comum	Como.
1516.	Conimbrica	Coimbra.
1505.	Constantia	Constance.
1487.	Cordova	Cordova.
1469.	Coria	Soria (in Old Castile).
1500(about).	Cracovia	Cracow (Poland).
1472.	Cremona	Cremona.
1480.	Culemburgum	Culembourg (in Holland).
1478.	Cusentia	Cosenza.
1475.	Daventria	Deventer (in Holland).
1477.	Delphi	Delft.
1491.	Divio	Dijon.
1490.	Dola	Dol (in France).
1564.	Duacum	Douay.
	Eblana	Dublin.
1509.	Eboracum	York.
	Edemburgum	Edinburgh.
1440(?).	Elvetrorum Argentina	Strassburg.
1491.	Engolismum	Angoulême.
1482.	Erfordia	Erfurt.
1472.	Essium	Jesi (in Italy).
1473.	Esslinga	Esslingen (in Wurtemberg).
1531.	Ettelinga	Etlingen.
1471.	Ferrara	Ferrara.
1471.	Firenze	Florence.
1472.	Fivizanum	Fivzziano (in Tuscany).
1471.	Florentia	Florence.
1495.	Forum Livii	Forli (in Italy).
1504.	Francofurtum ad Mœnum	Frankfort on the Maine.
1504.	Francofortum ad Oderam	Frankfort on the Oder.
1495.	Frisinga	Freysingen.
1470.	Fulgineum	Foligno (in Italy).
1487.	Gaietta	Gaeta.
1490.	Ganabum	Orleans.
1483.	Gandavvm, or Gand	Ghent.
1478.	Geneva	Geneva.
1474.	Genua	Genoa.
1483.	Gerunda	Gerona (in Spain).
1477.	Gouda	Gouda.
1490.	Gratianopolis	Grenoble.
1493.	Hafnia	Copenhagen.
	Haga Comitum	The Hague.
1491.	Hamburgum	Hamburg.
1491.	Hamnionia	Hamburg.
1483.	Harlemum (probably earlier date)	Haarlem.
1504.	Helenopolis	Frankfort on the Maine.
1479.	Herbipolis	Wurtzburg.
1476.	Hispalis, or Colonia Julia Romana	Seville.
1483.	Holmia	Stockholm.
1487.	Ingolstadium	Ingolstadt.
1473.	Lauginga	Laugingen (in Bavaria).
1483.	Leida	Leyden.
1495.	Lemovicense Castrum	Limoges.
1566.	Leodium	Liège.
1503.	Leucorea	Wittemburg.
1480.	Lipsia	Leipsic.
1485.	Lixboa	Lisbon.
1474(?).	Londinum	London.
1474.	Lovanium	Louvain.
1475.	Lubeca	Lubec.
1477.	Luca	Lucca.
1473.	Lugdunum	Lyons.
1483.	Lugdunum Batavorum	Leyden.
1499.	Madritum	Madrid.
1483.	Magdeburgum	Magdeburg.
1442(?).	Maguntia	Mayence.
1732.	Mancunium	Manchester.
1472.	Mantua	Mantua.
1527.	Marpurgum	Marburg.
1473.	Marsipolis	Mersburg.
1493.	Matisco	Maçon.
1470.	Mediolanum	Milan.
1473.	Messana	Messina.
1500.	Monachium	Munich.
1470.	Monasterium	Munster (in Switzerland).
1472.	Mons Regalis	Mondovi (in Piedmont).
1475.	Mutina	Modena.
1510.	Nanceium	Nancy.
1471.	Neapolis	Naples.
1493.	Nannetes	Nantes.
1525.	Nerolinga	Nordlingen (in Suabia).
1480.	Nonantula	Nonantola (in Modena).
1469.	Norimberga	Nuremberg.
1479.	Novi	Novi (near Genoa).
1479.	Noviomagium	Nimeguen.
1533.	Neocomum	Neuchatel.
1494.	Oppenhemium	Oppenheim.
1468.	Oxonia	Oxford (the date is disputed).
1477.	Panormum	Palermo.
1471.	Papia	Pavia.
1470.	Parisii	Paris.
1472.	Parma	Parma.
1481.	Patavia	Passau (in Bavaria).
1472.	Patavium	Padua.
1475.	Perusia	Perugia.
1479.	Pictavium	Poitiers.
1483.	Pisa	Pisa.
1472.	Plebisacium	Piobe de Sacco (in Italy).
1478.	Praga	Prague.
1495.	Ratiastum Lemovicum	Limoges.
1485.	Ratisbona	Ratisbon.
1480.	Regium	Reggio.
1482.	Reutlinga	Reutlingen.
1484.	Rhedones	Rennes.
1503.	Ripa or Ripis	Ripen (in Denmark).
1467.	Roma	Rome.
1487.	Rothomagum	Rouen.
1479.	Saena	Siena.
1480.	Salmantice	Salamanca.
1470.	Savillianum	Savigliano (in Piedmont).
1474.	Savona	Savona.
1483.	Schedamum	Schiedam.
1479.	Senæ	Siena.
1484.	Soncino	Soncino (Italy).
1514.	Southwark	Southwark.
1471.	Spira	Spires (in Pavaria).
1465.	Sublacense Monasterium. An independent monastery about two miles distant from Subiaco, in the Campagna di Roma.
1484.	Sylva Ducis	Bois-le-duc.
1471.	Tarvisium	Treviso (in Italy).
1474.	Taurinum	Turin.
1468.	Theatrum Sheldonianum (the date is disputed)	Oxford.
1521.	Tigurum	Zurich.
1479.	Tholosa	Toulouse.
1480.	Toletum	Toledo.
1473.	Trajectum ad Rhenum	Utrecht.
1504.	Trajectum ad Viadrum	Frankfort on the Oder.
1471.	Trajectum Inferius	Utrecht.
1470.	Trebia	Trevi (in Italy).
1483.	Trecæ	Troyes.
1440 (?).	Tribboccorum	Strassburg.
1483.	Tricasses	Troyes.
1476.	Tridentum Trent (in the Tyrol).
1498.	Tubinga	Tübingen.
1521.	Turigum	Zurich.
1496.	Turones	Tours.
1479.	Tusculanum	Toscolano (in Italy).
1471(?).	Ulma	Ulm.
1471.	Ultrajectum	Utrecht.
1485.	Ulyssipo	Lisbon.
1481.	Urbinum	Urbino.
1474.	Valentia	Valentia.
1474.	Vallis S. Mariæ Marienthal (an Augustine monastery near Mentz, now suppressed).
1469.	Venetiæ	Venice.
1485.	Vercellæ	Vercelli.
1470.	Verona	Verona.
1487.	Vesontio	Besançon.
1473.	Vicentia	Vicenza.
1517.	Vilna	Wilna (in Russia).
1482.	Vindobona	Vienna.
1503.	Vitemberga	Wittemburg.
1488.	Viterbium	Viterbo.
	Vratislavia	Breslau.
1474.	Westmonasterium	Westminster.
1475.	Wirceburgum	Wurtzburg.

Footnotes

5 Vide Pollard’s Last Words on the History of the Title-page (Lond., 1891).

6 Some recent French publishers, such as Quantin and Rouveyre, have imitated the practice in their editions for bibliophiles.