Donne, Juvenilia, 1633 (F1v)

This blank page is surprisingly busy. There's ink bleeding through from the other side (you can see the running title "PARADOXES" at the top and the signature mark "F" at the bottom of the page) but there's also offset from the facing page ("PROBLEMS", the title of the next section). It can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between bleed-through and offset in digital images if you can't also see the facing page, but one clue is to look for different colored ink. But if you look at this page under raking light, you'll see there's even more going on than is apparent in this image.

Dove, A new almanack, 1631 (A1r)

Since almanacs featured the location of astrological bodies, they were most accurate for specific geographical locations. This title page for Dove specifies that it is calculated for Cambridge. The use of red ink was typical for almanacs, both on the title page and in the content.

Dove, A new almanack, 1631 (A2v-A3r)

This almanac shows a typical combination of information: dates of the month, the dominical number, saints days and other festivals, the positions of various astrological features, and space for the user to write their own notes. But this almanac is atypical in that it survived---huge numbers of almanacs were printed, particularly in the 17th century, but most were discarded at the end of the year and lost to posterity.

Dowland, Second booke of songs, 1600 (A2r)

Dowland's dedicatory letter to the Countess of Bedford follows a layout that mirrors manuscript letters; note that his signature is set in a lowly and humble position at the bottom of the page.

Fletcher, Thierry, 1621 (C1v corr.)

This page shows the corrected version with all of the proofreader's indicated changes on the proofsheet made. This copy of the play provides a useful comparison of this process since a former owner has, unusually, bound in the proofsheet immediately following this correctly printed page (reversing the leaf so that the two versos face each other).

Fletcher, Thierry, 1621 (C1v uncorr.)

This page survives from one of the playbook's original proofsheets. The corrector has written marks down the margin indicating where the text needs to be reset. In the tenth line, the last word is struck out and a "d" for "deleted" is placed in the margin; in the very last line, a caret after "Martell" indicates where the comma needs to be added. If you compare this proof with the corrected version, you'll see the compositor has made the requested changes.

Gerard, Herball, 1633 (¶2r)

This engraved title page, with portraits not only of the author but of classical figures and with architectural structures providing an edifice tying the details together, strives to create an imposing authority for this herbal.

Gerard, Herball, 1633 (4y2r)

Even in 1633, the same woodblock is being used to print this illustration of the corn-cockle.

James I, By the King, 1611

This broadside uses gothic type (or black letter as the English often called it) for the main text of its announcement, as is typical for official English documents, with roman type setting off the names of the escapees.

Lodge, Euphues, 1634 (A1r)

John Smethwicke's printer's device features a bird known as a smew holding a scroll reading "wick" in its beak: smew + wick = Smethwick.