A Working Census of Bookbindings on 15th-Century Incunables in American Library Collections

FAIN: FA-53761-08

Scott Husby
University of Alabama, Birmingham (Birmingham, AL 35294-0002)

"A Working Census of Bookbindings on Incunables in American Library Collections" is a project to locate, record, and identify the bookbindings on 15th-century printed books (incunables) in American libraries. I am requesting support for one year (January 1 - December 31, 2008) to record the collections from the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library. The data may be used by the libraries to enhance their existing catalogue records and will facilitate the comparison of incunable copies with collections already in the census. The project will thus provide a much-needed tool for book-history research, contributing to the study of the book trade in late medieval and early Renaissance Europe, the expansion of literacy, the growth of libraries, and the role of books in political and religious reform movements.