Bancroft Library Incunabula Collection

Summary

Creators:

Bancroft Library. Special Collections

Extent:

ca. 460 volumes

Background

Scope and content:

The Incunabula Collection of The Bancroft Library comprises more than 400 titles (several of which are only leaves) printed before 1501. It includes philosophical, theological, scientific, historical, and literary works. The collection has specimens from each of the major western European countries. The largest representation is from Italy, with 132 titles from Venice alone. In addition, there are leaf books, collections original leaves from German, Italian, and West-European incunabula, described by Konrad Haebler, noted historian of incunabula, a miscellany collection of unidentified original leaves, and a selection of facsimiles and photographic reproductions of other incunabula and early type faces.

Acquisition information:

The greater portion of these works come from the library of James Kennedy Moffitt, a graduate of the University of California, class of 1886, for 36 years a University Regent, as well as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Crocker National Bank of San Francisco. Several volumes are from the collection of John Henry Nash, one of the leading typographers of California. Another part comes from the library of Charles Kay Ogden, noted linguist and originator of Basic English. Other volumes came through purchase and gift, most notably from the collections of the Italian humanist manuscripts, Charles William Dyson Perrins, the Dante enthusiast George John Warren, 5th Baron Vernon, the San Francisco attorney Alfred Sutro, and the medievalist James Westfall Thompson of Berkeley's History Dept.

Physical location:

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Note:

A detailed inventory of The Bancroft Library Incunabula Collection is available online.

The Bancroft Library Incunabula Collection

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

Website