This book aims to preserve and bring forward for wider appreciation the outstanding works of art that many engraved titlepages and frontispieces represent.
Over the time period covered by the present publication – roughly from the 1470s to the 1870s – very many printed books opened with an attractive decorative titlepage or frontispiece; sometimes both. In this book a limited selection has been made from the extremely wide field of known titlepages, mainly by a focus on subject matter which is primarily cartography, geography, history and topography, together with associated disciplines such as astronomy, travel and exploration. A selection of 100 main and approx. 70 supplementary entries adequately covers specimens of different styles, formats, and national characteristics over a four-hundred year time period from the late 15th century onwards. The choice of decorative titlepages or frontispieces includes examples emanating from Italy, Germany (including Switzerland and Austria), the Netherlands (including Flanders), France, Spain, England and some later examples published in the United States.

Contributions by: Dirk Imhof, Claude Sorgeloos