misc: blank initial

Boethius, Arithmetica, 1492 (2a1v)

The text of this edition begins "Incipiunt duo libri de Arthimetica" but the title of the book is taken not from this phrase, but from the title label on the previous page. The space for the initial letter, like others in this volume, has been left unfilled.

Magnus, Compendium, 1478-80

The printer has left the two spaces in the text for an initial letter to be added later by hand. In this case of this alphabetical list, the letters would be “R” and “S”.

Nider, Manuale Confessorum, 1474 ([1]1r)

The beginning of this manual for confessors is marked with an "incipit," a common Latin word used to indicate the beginning of a text.

Nider, Manuale confessorum, 1474 ([3]3r)

Although this book has clearly been read and annotated by a reader, its owner never had the initial letters or rubrication added. You can see on the left an empty square that would hold a hand-drawn initial letter as well as a smaller space further down on the right that would have been rubricated with a ca­pit­u­lum to indicate the start of a new chapter or section.