Gadbury, Ephemeris, 1688 (A4v-A5r)

Although many printed almanacs left space for users to add in their own notes, Gadbury here adds in a block of red text labeled "observations" a brief account of recent historical events.

Gerard, Herball, 1633 (4y2r)

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

Gower, Confessio Amatis, 1483 (CCxir)

In this colophon, Caxton identifies himself as the printer and states that it was finished on September 2 in the first year of King Richard III's reign, 1493. But the first year of Richard's reign was 1483, and so catalog records provide that as the correct date. (It's certainly much easier to accidentally slip in an extra "x" to the date than to confuse the first and tenth year of your monarch's rule.)

Hobart, Reports, 1724 (K4v)

There's a lot going on here: reports of Judge Hobart's cases, printed marginal notes referring to other cases, different typefaces, running titles in the headlines noting the cases discussed on each page, and a press figure at the very bottom.

Holinshed, Chronicles, 1577 (b2v)

As is the case with many large chronicles, the woodcut illustrations here are reused throughout the book.

Holinshed, Chronicles, 1577, pub. Bishop (¶1r)

In some cases, when a group of publishers together paid for a work to be printed, the work would be printed with different states of the title page, each publisher being named separately. Here, although a group of men collaborated to pay for the publication of Holinshed's Chronicles, this state of the title page lists only Lucas Harrison as the publisher (compare to this copy of the work).

Holinshed, Chronicles, 1577, pub. Harrison (¶1r)

In some cases, when a group of publishers together paid for a work to be printed, the work would be printed with different states of the title page, each publisher being named separately. Here, although a group of men collaborated to pay for the publication of Holinshed's Chronicles, this state of the title page lists only Lucas Harrison as the publisher (compare to this copy of the work).

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.

Keimer, Elegy, 1723 (1r)

Because broadsides weren't typically bound into books but rather distributed as single sheets, they often have very high loss rates. This is the only known copy of Keimer's Elegy, which Benjamin Franklin describes in his Autobiography as having unusually been composed as Keimer set the type. This was the first work that Keimer published in America, and Franklin's first known printing job in Philadelphia.

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.