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With approximately 19,930 volumes, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München (BSB) has the largest collection of fifteenth-century printed books in the world. Its collection of over 9,600 incunabula places the library second to the British Library in London. The library holds about a third of all cradle-books still traceable today. In five volumes comprising nearly 3000 pages, the BSB’s catalogue of incunabula (BSB-Ink) provides detailed information on the cradle-books, taking into account recent research. Currently, the general catalogue of cradle-books contains description of less than half of the incunabula in the BSB. In contrast to older catalogues of incunabula, the texts contained in the cradle-books are cited individually and identified on the basis of research literature. For editions not traded under a certain name, the printers were identified and the texts were dated using typographical methods. In addition, there is a description of each incunabula as a historical document, drawing attention to any artistic ornamentation or entries by readers as well as historic covers. Late medieval and early modern owners have been identified. Each volume of the catalogue includes concordances of Hain and of the general catalogue of cradle-books.
The catalogue is an indispensable tool for libraries, antiquarian bookshops and collectors. For medievalists and historians of printing, who are concerned with the tradition of texts during the time of transition from handwriting to printing, and for other specialists with an interest in the reception of medieval literature throughout a period of five hundred years, BSB-Ink provides a uniquely extensive core of material.