Febrés, Arte de lengua de Chile, 1765 (2A4r)

This page is from a textbook teaching Spanish speakers the Mapuche language, spoken by the Mapuche people of present-day Chile and Argentina. It showcases how type works to transliterate phonemes from a non-Romance language into a Latin alphabet. It is interesting to compare the tildes on the Ñs in the text to the contemporary variety. The book seems to be tightly bound, based on the close cropping on the left side of the image.

Gadbury, Ephemeris, 1688 (A1r)

This ephemeris---a calendar of astronomical positions---for the year 1688 uses red ink on the title page to highlight the key words advertising this work.

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.

Moxon, Mechanick exercises, 1683 (F4v)

In the empty space at the end of a section in his book on printing, Moxon places an advertisement for volume one of Mechanick Exercises. He describes the book in terms of the number of sheets and illustrations that make it up, and that the price is given for it as gathered but not bound.

Moxon, Mechanick exercises, 1683 (S4v)

On what would otherwise be a blank page, this advertisement is for similar how-to books.

Nostradamus, An almanach, 1562 (fol. 1r)

This almanac gives evidence of two things we don't often get to see: it barely survived and it's covered with manuscript notes from other dates. Although it's hard to discern from just this one image, this is one side of a half of a sheet that was imposed as an octavo (the other images from this sheet can be seen here). The sheet itself was torn along what is here the left edge, probably after it was weakened by years of folding. But even then, the almanac is incomplete, ending in October since the second sheet is now missing.

Ruban, Kratkaia letopis Malyia Rossii, 1777 (Д2)

This page shows the distances between one postal town and another, broken into sections and totaled at the bottom of each table: from Galukhov to Pereiaslavl is a total of 255 versts. The rules are used here as vertical lines to help keep the columns of information discrete.

Securis, A newe almanacke, 1571 (A2v-A3r)

Almanacs often included charts of the human body and indications of which astrological signs ruled which parts. This opening also includes information about propitious times of the year for things not only having to do with the body (bathing, stopping colds) but with planting.

Securis, A newe almanacke, 1571 (A4v-A5r)

This almanac prints the months on individual pages rather than a two-page opening, as become more common in later decades, but a lot of information about astrological bodies and calendar dates is still fit in across the columns.