There is considerable value in presenting the bibliography of incunable Bibles
in this form,
organised by place of printing rather than as a simple chronological sequence,
and encompassing all vernacular languages represented during the incunable period.
When viewed geographically,
patterns emerge that are otherwise easy to overlook.
Entire printing centres reveal distinct linguistic,
commercial,
and theological identities.
Augsburg,
for example,
is overwhelmingly a centre of High German Bible production,
while Basel remains exclusively Latin throughout the incunable period.
Such patterns are not incidental.
They reflect local readership,
ecclesiastical priorities,
and the commercial strategies of early printers.
A geographical bibliography is not merely descriptive.
It becomes a tool for understanding how the Bible was transmitted,
read,
and disseminated throughout late medieval Europe.
These tables demonstrate that German printings are largely Latin
and vernacular High German;
Italian printings are predominantly Latin and Italian;
France is overwhelmingly Latin,
with French appearing only towards the end of the period;
Catalan is represented in Spain;
Czech appears in Eastern European presses;
and Hebrew editions were printed at Soncino,
Brescia,
and Naples.
Augsburg
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| c. 1475 |
Jodocus Pflanzmann |
High German |
| 1475–1476 |
Gunther Zainer |
High German |
| 1477 |
Gunther Zainer |
High German |
| 20 June 1477 |
Anton Sorg |
High German |
| 1 January 1480 |
Anton Sorg |
High German |
| 25 May 1487 |
Jodocus Pflanzmann |
High German |
| 9 November 1490 |
Jodocus Pflanzmann |
High German |
Bamberg
Possibly printed in Mainz rather than Bamberg.
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| c. 1458 |
Printer of the 36-line Bible |
Latin |
Basel
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| c. 1468 | Berthold Ruppel | Latin |
| c. 1474 | Bernhard Richel | Latin |
| c. 1475 | Berthold Ruppel and Bernhard Richel | Latin |
| 1475 | Bernhard Richel | Latin |
| 8 September 1477 | Bernhard Richel | Latin |
| 1479 | Johann Amerbach | Latin |
| 1481 | Johann Amerbach | Latin |
| 1482 | Johann Amerbach | Latin |
| 1486 | Johann Amerbach | Latin |
| 1486 | Bernhard Richel | Latin |
| 9 October 1487 | Nikolaus Kessler | Latin |
| 1489 | Nikolaus Kessler | Latin |
| 9 January 1491 | Nikolaus Kessler | Latin |
| 1491 | Johann Amerbach | Latin |
| 27 June 1491 | Johann Froben | Latin |
| c. 1492–1494 | Johann Amerbach | Latin |
| 27 October 1495 | Johann Froben | Latin |
| 1 December 1498 | Johann Froben and Johann Petri | Latin |
| 1498–1502 | Johann Amerbach for Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 1498–1502 | Johann Froben and Johann Petri | Latin |
| 1500 | Johann Froben | Latin |
Brescia
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 24–31 May 1494 |
Gershom ben Moses Soncino |
Hebrew |
| 29 December 1496 |
Angelus and Jacobus Britannici |
Latin |
Florence
No extant copies traced; see Goff H-3077.
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 1480 |
Unknown |
Latin |
Cologne
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| c. 1475 | Konrad Winters | Latin |
| c. 1477 | Konrad Winters | Latin |
| c. 1477–1478 | Nikolaus Götz | Latin |
| c. 1478 | Heinrich Quentell | Low German |
| c. 1478–1480 | Nikolaus Götz | Latin |
| 20 September 1479 | Konrad Winters | Latin |
| 9 May 1480 | Nikolaus Götz | Latin |
| 1497 | Unknown | Latin |
Kuttenberg
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 14 November 1489 |
Martin of Tischnowitz |
Czech |
Lübeck
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 19 November 1494 |
Steffen Arndes |
Low German |
Lyon
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 1479 | Perrin le Masson | Latin |
| 1482 | Markus Reinhard and Nikolaus Philippi | Latin |
| 1483 | Matthias Huss | Latin |
| c. 1487 | Printer of Guido Papa | Latin |
| c. 1488 | Johann Siber | Latin |
| 1489 | Lazarus David Grosshofer | Latin |
| 9 June 1490 | Jacques Maillet | Latin |
| 1494 | Matthias Huss | Latin |
| 23 December 1497 | Jean Pivard and François Fradin | Latin |
| 1499 | Unknown | Latin |
| 1500 | Jacques Sacon | Latin |
| 1500–1501 | Jean Pivard | Latin |
| Possibly c. 1500 | Olivier Arnoullet | French |
Mainz
The second entry may have been printed in Bamberg rather than Mainz.
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 1454–1455 | Johann Gutenberg | Latin |
| c. 1458 | Printer of the 36-line Bible | Latin |
| 14 August 1462 | Johann Fust and Peter Schöffer | Latin |
| 23 February 1472 | Peter Schöffer | Latin |
Naples
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 1476 |
Matthias of Olomouc and Biagio Romero |
Latin |
| c. 1492 |
Joshua Solomon ben Israel Soncino |
Hebrew |
Nuremberg
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 16 November 1475 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 9 December 1475 | Johann Sensenschmidt and Andreas Frisner | Latin |
| 1476 | Johann Sensenschmidt and Andreas Frisner | Latin |
| c. 1476–1478 | Johann Sensenschmidt | High German |
| 30 July 1477 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 14 April 1478 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 10 November 1478 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 6 August 1479 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 14 April 1480 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 31 December 1482 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 17 February 1483 | Anton Koberger | High German |
| c. 1483 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 1484 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 7 May 1485 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 3 December | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 12 April 1493 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| c. 1493 | Kaspar Hochfeder | Latin |
| 6 September 1497 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 1500 | Anton Koberger | Latin |
Paris
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 21 July 1477 | Martin Crantz and Michael Friburger | Latin |
| c. 1495 | Unknown | Latin |
| c. 1498 | Antoine Vérard | French |
| 1500 | Simon Vostre | Latin |
| Unknown | Thielman Kerver | Latin |
| c. 1500? | Antoine Vérard | French |
Piacenza
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 1475 |
Johannes Petrus de Ferraris |
Latin |
Prague
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| August 1488 |
Johann Kamp for Johann Pytlik |
Czech |
Rome
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 15 March 1471 |
Konrad Sweynheym and Arnold Pannartz |
Latin |
Seville
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 1491 |
Compañeros Alemanes |
Latin |
Soncino
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 23 February 1488 |
Joshua Solomon ben Israel Nathan Soncino |
Hebrew |
Speyer
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 1486 | Peter Drach | Latin |
| 1489 | Peter Drach | Latin |
Strasbourg
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| c. 1460–1461 | Johann Mentelin | Latin |
| 24 May 1466 | Heinrich Eggestein | Latin |
| 27 June 1466 | Johann Mentelin | Latin |
| c. 1468 | Heinrich Eggestein | Latin |
| c. 1468–1473 | Adolf Rusch and Johann Mentelin | Latin |
| c. 1470 | Heinrich Eggestein | High German |
| 1478 | Martin Flach | Latin |
| 23 September 1481 | Adolf Rusch for Anton Koberger | Latin |
| 1483 | Johann Grüninger | Latin |
| 2 May 1485 | Johann Grüninger | High German |
| 1485 | Printer of the Vitas Patrum | Latin |
| 1486 | Johann Prüss | Latin |
| 1489 | Johann Prüss | Latin |
| 3 November 1493 | Johann Grüninger | Latin |
| 26 April 1497 | Johann Grüninger | Latin |
Ulm
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 29 January 1480 |
Johann Zainer |
Latin |
Valencia
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| March 1478 |
Alfonso Fernández and Lambert Palmart for Philipp Vizlant |
Catalan |
Venice
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 1 August 1471 | Wendelin von Speyer | Italian |
| 1 October 1471 | Adam von Ammergau | Italian |
| 1475 | Franz Renner and Nikolaus von Frankfurt | Latin |
| 1476 | Franz Renner and Nikolaus von Frankfurt | Latin |
| 1476 | Nicolas Jenson | Latin |
| 1477 | Antonio Miscomini | Italian |
| 1477–1478 | Gabriele di Pietro | Italian |
| 1478 | Rainald of Nijmegen and Theodore of Reynsberg | Latin |
| 1478 | Leonhard Wild for Nikolaus von Frankfurt | Latin |
| 1479 | Nicolas Jenson | Latin |
| 1480 | Franz Renner | Latin |
| 31 May 1480 | Octavianus Scotus | Latin |
| 31 July 1481 | Johann Herbort for Nicolas Jenson | Latin |
| 1481 | Leonhard Wild | Latin |
| 1481 | Octavianus Scotus | Italian |
| 1482 | Franz Renner | Latin |
| 1483 | Franz Renner | Latin |
| 31 October 1483 | Johann Herbort | Latin |
| 30 April 1484 | Johann Herbort | Latin |
| 1484 | Andreas de Paltaszichis | Italian |
| c. 1485 | Nicholas of Frankfurt | Latin |
| 1486 | Unknown | Latin |
| 31 October 1487 | Johannes Rubeus | Italian |
| 27 February 1487/1488 | Georgius Arrivabene | Latin |
| 8 August 1489 | Bonetus Locatellus for Octavianus Scotus | Latin |
| 15 October 1490 | Giovanni Ragazzo for Lucantonio Giunta | Italian |
| 1491 | Unknown | Latin |
| 1491 | Simon de Gara | Latin |
| July 1492 | Giovanni Ragazzo for Lucantonio Giunta | Italian |
| 7 September 1492 | Hieronymus de Paganinis | Latin |
| 23 April 1493 | Guiglielmus de Cereto | Italian |
| June 1494 | Johannes Rubeus for Lucantonio Giunta | Italian |
| 22 November 1494 | Simon Bevilaqua | Latin |
| 1494 | Franz Renner | Latin |
| 18 April 1495 | Paganinus de Paganinis | Latin |
| 1496 | Unknown | Latin |
| 7 September 1497 | Hieronymus de Paganinis | Latin |
| 8 May 1498 | Simon Bevilaqua | Latin |
Vicenza
| Date |
Printer |
Language |
| 10 May 1476 |
Leonardus Achates |
Latin |