Moxon, Mechanick exercises, 1683 (F4v)

In the empty space at the end of a section in his book on printing, Moxon places an advertisement for volume one of Mechanick Exercises. He describes the book in terms of the number of sheets and illustrations that make it up, and that the price is given for it as gathered but not bound.

Moxon, Mechanick exercises, 1683 (S4v)

On what would otherwise be a blank page, this advertisement is for similar how-to books.

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.

Ogilby, Aesop, 1668 (pg. 47)

Ogilby's version of Aesop's Fables uses the margins for extensive annotations.

Ogilby, Aesop, 1668 (pg. 48)

The blank space on this page decisively separates the fable and its moral.

Philipott, Aesop, 1666 (sig. 2Q2r)

This bilingual edition privileges the Latin text with the majority of page space, but presents the English version in rhyming verse. Along with the intricate engraving, the different modes may have made this book appealing to people of varying levels of schooling.

Prouisiones cedulas, 1563 (a1r)

The title of this collection of Spanish colonial laws is surrounded by four separate woodcuts used as borders, as well as a cut of the Spanish coat of arms.

Rowe, Laura, 1775 (A1v)

This ad selling letterpress printing to the public appears on the back of a title page; the book lacks an imprint statement, and the shop location given here allows researchers to suggest a time-frame for the book's publication.

Sacrobosco, Noviciis adolescentibus, 1485 ([1]2r)

Sacrobosco's works were some of the most influential astronomical texts of the middle ages. It was frequently collected with works from Regiomantus and Peurbach as a textbook on the subject. The incipit (even though it's not preceded by the phrase) provides the title under which this collection is cataloged, rather than the more commonly used De sphaera mundi.

Santo Officio da Inquisição de Coimbra, Relacion del auto de fee, 1723 (A1r)

This account of people tried as heretics includes, in place of a printer's device, the device of the Inquisition.