Houghton Library and the Standing Committee on Medieval Studies present "Incunabula from Bavaria at Harvard," a hands-on workshop by Bettina Wagner, Director of the Staatsbibliothek Bamberg.

In the 19th century, numerous incunabula came onto the antiquarian market as a result of the dissolution of monasteries in Southern Germany. In Bavaria, the holdings of monastic libraries were centralized in Munich, but large quantities of books were sold off as duplicates and dispersed. Harvard College benefitted from many bequests by collectors who had bought at such sales, and thus numerous incunabula with Bavarian provenances are present in the library. Identifying provenances and placing books in their former collection contexts is a challenging task, and we will examine some interesting books and discuss their functions for earlier owners.

"Incunabula from Bavaria at Harvard" will be offered in the morning and once in the afternoon, and space is limited. Please register for one session only. This is the listing for the morning session. Follow this link to register for the afternoon session: Afternoon Session.

Workshop attendees are encouraged to attend Wagner’s public lecture, "The Nuremberg Humanist Hartmann Schedel and his Books: A Doctor, Chronicler, and Collector at the Transition from Manuscript to Print," April 8, 5:30 PM, at Houghton Library.