[Folio Leaf from the Liber Chronicarum]

This single folio leaf from a Liber Chronicarum of 1493 exhibits the remarkable sturdiness and durability of paper made from linen rags in Europe in the 15th century. The printer Anton Koberger in the contract agreement dated March 16, 1492 “ordered for the mentioned edition the paper called Superregal, of just the right size and whiteness…”  Because so much paper was needed to print this book Koberger had to use papers from many mills, all of which  had different watermarks. Curiously Koberger did not use papers from the mill outside the city of Nuremberg.  Over 600 woodblocks were used for the illustrations in the Nuremberg Chronicle, as this book is also known.

Vanderbilt Library owns a Latin edition of the Liber Chronicarum which has recently been restored and conserved. It was given to the library in 1966 by Jesse E. Wills.