A Fővárosi Szabó Ervin Könyvtár 1601 előtti nyomtatványainak katalógusa (Budapest, 2001)
Guide to the catalogue
the imprint has been taken from the colophon, it is indicated by round brackets. If, however, it has not been taken from the end of the publication, its exact place is referred to by either (Inf x) or (In p. x). The format is given at the start of a new line (in case of broad sheets complemented by the size of the type area in mm). This is followed by the formula of the detailed collation (an enumeration of the parts), co-ordinated with the volume, correcting as necessary the faulty data of the volume on the print itself. The unnumbered empty folio at the end of the volume is indicated in the collation only. In this line stands the remark, referring to the printer’s or publisher’s device (sign.) and marking wood or copper engravings (fig. xylogr.) or (fig. chalcogr.). These are given with numbers till 10, above that with abbreviations (plur.fig. xylogr./chalcogr.). In the last line of the bibliographic description the references to the respective literature are given. We have referred in the first place to BNH Cat., if we found the edition in question there, and to the Catalogus incunabulorum quae in bibliothecis publicis Hungáriáé asservantur (CIH) for incunabula respectively, if we found the given edition, further to catalogues and monographs on printers, whose detailed descriptions made safe identification possible. In case of the numerous printings from German-speaking areas we referred to the entries of VD 16 wherever it was possible. Printings described by the editors of VD 16 based on the holdings of the Metropolitan Szabó Ervin Library in the yet unpublished supplement to the series have been marked by asterisk preceding the entry number of VD 16 ZV (Zusatzverzeichnis). The descriptions of incunabula had to be approximated to the description of old books because of their common listing. It was easily feasible with authors, using references between alternative names. Titles - if they were to be found on the incunabula - have, however, been usually described as they stood on the copy, instead of the unified title accepted in the literature. Although the imprint was not indicated in the 15th century on the title page, and should not be indicated by brackets, we put the data from the colophon into round brackets and described them with a specificity as with 16th century prints, for the sake of unified presentation in the catalogue. When summing up the volume we had to take the empty leaves as well into account because incunabula bibliographies calculate these when summing up the volume of the full copy, without square brackets. 2. The copy descriptions provide the unique features of books in paragraphs denoted by the capital letters of the alphabet. They are the following ones: A With incomplete copies the missing pages, exactly specifying their place. Eventual surpluses, supplements, corrections, damaged or falsely bound leaves etc. XIX
