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.

More, Utopia, 1518 March (u6v)

More, Utopia, March 1518 (b2v)

This famous illustration of Utopia appears in the earliest edition of the work, but like other preliminaries, its location in the book shifted in various editions.

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.

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

Although this almanac is for the year 1562, a user has added notes for a number of later years, including 1581 and 1589, as see here on the blank verso of the title page.

Nostradamus, An almanach, 1562 (fol. 2r)

Unlike later almanacs, this continues one month on after another, rather than giving each month its own page or opening. If you look at the top right page, you'll see the start of January, which continues onto the bottom right page.

Nostradamus, An almanach, 1562 (fol. 2v)

One of the benefits of looking at this unopened sheet is seeing how the use of red ink calls attention to specific dates and moon phases as well as serving to differentiate sections of the text. Our use now of the phrase "red-letter day" comes from the practice of using red ink to indicate festivals, a practice that originated in manuscripts.

Patousas, Aesop, 1644 (sig. L4v)

A woodcut illustrating Aesop's fable of the fox and the crow, which in this book is printed to face the illustration (you can see the text here).

Patousas, Aesop, 1644 (sig. L5r)

A modern Greek translation of Aesop's fable of the fox and the crow; there is an accompanying illustration on the facing page

Soldini, Anima brutorum, 1776 (a8r; Getty)

The opening of each chapter in this book features intaglio initial letters, the colors of which vary from copy to copy. In this copy from the Getty, a blue ink is used, but in the Smithsonian's copy, the initial letter is printed in sienna. (The plates facing this page also differ in the two copies; search "Soldini" to compare.)