Vassar College Digital Library

Printers' Marks in the Vassar College Library

This collection provides images of, and information about, all of the extant printer's marks in the windows of the Vassar College Library. Printer's marks are visual emblems that identify the printer of a particular book. They first appeared in the 15th century, and helped early printers establish their businesses and protect their work in what was still an emerging and precarious field. They also have an artistic quality, and many make use of elaborate symbols and patterns. Users will find images of the marks, brief biographies of the printers, and short descriptions of the marks. They can be searched by name, location of printer, or location in the library. This project was created by Katherine Durr (VC '15) as part of the Ford Scholar program under the supervision of Professor Ron Patkus in Summer 2013.
Digital Library

Printers' Marks in the Vassar College Library

Thomas Anshelm, 1488-1522 -- Printer's Mark

Image
99877-Service File.jpg
Date
1488-1522
Description

Main (Thompson) Library location: South wing -- Fourth window. Thomas Anshelm (c.1465 – c. 15--) was born in Baden circa 1465, and twenty years later he matriculated at the University of Basel. By 1488, he issued his first production, Epistolae et Evangelia, in Strasbourg. In the following decade

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Valentin Fernandez, 1501 -- Printer's Mark

Image
99866-Service File.jpg
Date
1501
Description

Main (Thompson) Library location: South wing -- First window. Valentin Fernandez (c.14-- – c.1519) was born in Moravia, but spent most of his life in Lisbon, where he pursued a career as a printer and translator. In 1495, he printed a Portuguese edition of Vita Christi with fellow printer Nicolaus

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Valentin Schumann, 1502-1534 -- Printer's Mark

Image
99836-Service File.jpg
Date
1502-1534
Description

Main (Thompson) Library location: North wing -- First window. The son of a resident of Leipzig, Valentin Schumann (c. 14-- – 1542) began printing in 1514, the year he produced Johannes Reuchlin's Phorcensis Scenica Progymnasmata. His early works demonstrate a focus on classical and humanist

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Walter Chepman, 1507 -- Printer's Mark

Image
99865-Service File.jpg
Date
1507
Description

Main (Thompson) Library location: South wing -- First window. Walter Chepman (c. 1471 – 1528) was born circa 1471 in Ayr, Scotland and moved to Edinburgh in 1493, where he pursued a career as a merchant alongside Andrew Halyburton. He concurrently began his career as a notary to the royal household

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William Caxton, 1489-1491 -- Printer's Mark

Image
99856-Service File.jpg
Date
1489-1491
Description

Main (Thompson) Library location: Class of '51 Reading Room. William Caxton (c. 1422 - c. 1492) was born in Kent and, by 1438, was apprenticed to a mercer in London. He eventually settled in Bruges, where his business prospered. In 1463, he became Governor of the English Nation of Merchant

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Wygand Koeln, 1523-1535 -- Printer's Mark

Image
99855-Service File.jpg
Date
1523-1535
Description

Main (Thompson) Library location: Class of '51 Reading Room. Wygand Koeln (c. 14-- - c.15--) was active in Geneva as early as 1520, when he printed his first known work, Missale Parvum for Gabriel Pomard, a printer and publisher in Geneva. During Koeln's career, Geneva was becoming a place of refuge

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Wynkyn de Worde, 1499 -- Printer's Mark

Image
99863-Service File.jpg
Date
1499
Description

Main (Thompson) Library location: End window -- North wing. While much of his early life remains unknown, it is clear that Wynkyn de Worde (c.14-- – 1534) emigrated from his supposed home in the region of Alsace-Lorraine and began printing in England toward the end of the 15th century, primarily

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