Early Printed Books

The collection »Old Prints« primarily presents unique and rare prints from the old holdings of the Francke Foundations Library in digital form. One focus is on titles from the 16th and 18th centuries, which are listed in the »Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachraum erschienenen Drucke des 16. Jahrhunderts« (VD 16) and the »Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachraum erschienenen Drucke des 18. Jahrhunderts« (VD 18). 1,700 titles from the 18th century were digitised and catalogued by the University and State Library of Saxony-Anhalt as part of a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). This project was accompanied in 2022/23 by an exhibition entitled »Invitation to the 18th century. Experiencing the World of Books Digitally« was held at the Francke Foundations in 2022/23, the online version of which is available on the Francke Foundations’ website.

In specific cases, explanatory comments concerning the printed work are added, such as the comments made by Gertrud Bense in the digital version of the Lithuanian printed work entitled Pienas Maźėms Waikélems (PMW).

If you have any questions about the printed works, please contact the head of the August Hermann Francke Study Centre, Anke Mies.