Created a Revolution for the Distribution of Books

WILLER, Elias & Georg.

Catalogus Novus nundinarum Autumnalium, Francofurti ad Moenum, Anno M.D. XCV. celebratarum, eorum scilicet librorum, qui hoc semestri, partim omnino novi, partim denuo vel forma, vel loco, à prioribus editionibus diversi, vel accessione aliqua locupletiores, in lucem prodierunt, & his Nundinis venales sunt expositi.

[16] leaves. Small 4to, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards. Frankfurt am Main: N. Bassée, 1595.

The autumn 1595 catalogue of the Frankfurt Book Fair; WorldCat locates only one copy in North America. The Frankfurt catalogues, issued twice a year by Georg Willer starting in the autumn of 1564, created a revolution for the book trade. “Before that date printers visiting the fair must have had to write out by hand countless lists of new books to send to their customers: thereafter they could send copies of the fair catalogue to the local booksellers all over Europe, who in turn passed them on to their customers…The fair catalogue was a co-operative effort: the printers coming to the fair sent in advance title-pages of the books they were bringing, so that Willer could arrange them in subject order before printing his catalogue.”–Pollard in The Distribution of Books by Catalogue (1965), p. 77.

These “catalogues represent the first international bibliographies of a periodic character, attempting to list every six months all new publications issued in Europe, and they can be considered the prototype of today’s Books in Print. The books are arranged by subject; for the first time, place, publisher, and date are always mentioned.”–Grolier Club, Bibliography, 24.

All Willer catalogues are extremely rare.

Very good copy. Minor worming in lower blank margin.

Price: $3,000.00

Item ID: 7457