Pictures of the constellations Sagittarius and Capricorn from Thomas de Blavis's 1488 reprint of this classical work on astronomy originally published by Erhard Ratdolt in 1482.

A lavish gilt initial decorating the beginning of the text of this encyclopaedia originally written by a 13th century English Franciscan, and printed by one of the first printers based in Nurnberg. Anton Koberger was also the biggest operator in the business in both the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, running 24 presses, employing over 100 people.

The finely illuminated opening page illustrated here belongs to the Library's oldest printed Bible, a Latin Vulgate and the first Bible to be printed in the burgeoning mercantile centre of Venice. Continuing the tradition of medieval book construction most early printed books did not possess title pages, and were not in fact identified by their titles.

The finely illuminated title page of the first printed edition of Julius Caesar’s works, produced by the first printers to move outside of Germany.

17th-century gilding and gauffering of the textblock. The design on the edges incorporates images of birds alighting on foliage and a Jesuit device. From a volume containing a copy of the first printing of the Bible in Armenian (Amsterdam, 1666).

17th-century fore-edge gilding and gauffering from Biblia en lengua espanola (Amsterdam, 1661).

19th-century double fore-edge painting from The life and remains of Henry Kirke White (London, 1843). It incorporates scenes of Nottingham and St John's College, Cambridge, one of which appears if the pages are fanned one way, and the other if fanned in the other direction.

A 19th-century fore-edge painting of St John's College, dating from after 1831 as it shows the Bridge of Sighs, from an undated London edition of The life and remains of Henry Kirke White.

19th-century fore-edge paintings from one of a two volume set of The remains of Henry Kirke White 10th ed. (London, 1823). It incorporates scenes of King's Parade and St John's College, Cambridge.