Introduction

In addition to housing medieval manuscripts and incunables, the Library of Congress also holds a significant collection of facsimiles of these items. They include facsimiles of medieval encyclopediae, poems, bibles, maps, etc. Some of these facsimiles may be requested in the Main Reading Room or in the Rare Book Reading Room. Manuscripts and incunables must be requested in the Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room. This guide provides an overview on how to search for these materials in the Library and provides some supplementary information on scribal abbreviations and a glossary of technical terms.

Page from the Exposicio mistica super exod[um] , a Latin manuscript from Germany, ca. 1150. Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. Library of Congress Rare Book & Special Collections Division.

Page from an encyclopedic manuscript containing allegorical and medical drawings, South Germany ca. 1410. Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. Library of Congress Rare Book & Special Collections Division.

Page from the De re militari , a Latin manuscript from North Italy, third quarter of the 15th century. Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. Library of Congress Rare Book & Special Collections Division.

Page from the Speculum regum , a Latin manuscript from Germany,12th century. Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. Library of Congress Rare Book & Special Collections Division.

Page from the Summa de sacramentis printed in Augsburg in 1469 with a red initial added by hand. Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. Library of Congress Rare Book & Special Collections Division.

Page from Thomas Aquinas' Postilla in Job printed in Esslingen by Conrad Fyner in 1474. Rubrications were done by hand. Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. Library of Congress Rare Book & Special Collections Division.

Medieval and Renaissance Facsimiles and Incunables: A Resource Guide

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