The work of G. D. Painter on incunabula and early printing needs no introduction. Ranging from Gutenberg and Caxton to the first printing in France and Spain, the author has done much to illuminate the tangled history of the earliest editions of some of the rarest and most attractive books in European printing. The articles reprinted here feature a number of studies which have become classics in their field. The author's investigation of Gutenberg's early work represents a major contribution to the age-old controversy surrounding the invention of printing. Similarly, his studies on Caxton have helped to clarify the date and development of the work of England's first printer. Also included is his celebrated essay on the most outstanding illustrated book from the fifteenth century, Aldus Manutius' edition of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.