Seemiller - Incunabula Typographica - 1787-1792

FIRST EDITION OF THE BIBLIA OF THE BIBLIOPHILES - SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY CENSUS OF INCUNABULA
The Bibliothecae Academicae Ingolstadiensis Incunabula Typographica by Sebastian Seemiller represents one of the earliest systematic attempts to census and describe the books printed in the 15th century preserved in a large European university library. The First Edition, published in Ingolstadt between 1787 and 1792, documents about fourteen hundred incunabula belonging to the academic library of the Bavarian city, arranging them chronologically and accompanied by historical-literary notes. The catalog constitutes a fundamental testimony to the birth of scientific incunabula bibliography and reflects Enlightenment interest in the history of typography and in preserving the earliest testimonies of European printing.
MARKET VALUE
Seventeenth-century incunabula catalogs represent a specialized and sought-after sector of bibliographic collecting. Complete sets of the four issues bound together, as in the present case, appear with some rarity on the antiquarian market. The market value for similar copies generally ranges from about €1,200 to €2,800, with higher values for specimens in well-preserved condition with contemporary bindings.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Four issues published between 1787 and 1792, bound in a single volume. Contemporary full parchment binding with blue edges. Light foxing present. Typographic title page.
4 issues in one volume - 4 sheets, 192 pp.; xvi, 174, [10] pp.; 2 sheets, 196 pp.; viii, 160, [21] pp.
In old books with a multigenerational history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Sebastianus Seemiller.
Bibliothecae Academicae Ingolstadiensis Incunabula Typographica seu libri ante annum 1500 impressi circiter mille et quadringenti.
Ingolstadt, Johann Wilhelm Krüll, 1787–1792.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
In the 18th century there developed a growing scholarly interest in the history of typography and in books printed in the early decades of printing. University and monastic libraries began to systematically census their ancient holdings, giving rise to modern incunabula bibliography. Seemiller’s work represents one of the earliest examples of this scientific approach: the incunabula held by the Ingolstadt academic library are arranged chronologically and described with historical and literary annotations. The work documents about 1,400 books printed before 1500, providing valuable information on editions, printers, and places of printing. Catalogs like this formed a fundamental basis for the great bibliographic repertoires of the 19th and 20th centuries devoted to incunabula.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Sebastian Seemiller (1750–1814) was a German theologian and librarian, canon regular and prefect of the University of Ingolstadt Library. A scholar of ecclesiastical history and bibliography, he devoted much of his activity to cataloging and studying the university’s ancient book funds. His catalog of the academy library’s incunabula represents one of the earliest systematic contributions to the bibliographic study of 15th-century editions.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The work was published in Ingolstadt in fascicles between 1787 and 1792. The four fascicles were often bound together in a single volume, as in the described exemplar. The catalog had limited circulation to academic and bibliographic circles, but quickly became an important source for scholars interested in the history of printing and the cataloging of incunabula.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN, catalog of the National Library Service, records for Bibliothecae Academicae Ingolstadiensis Incunabula Typographica.
Catalogue BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France), bibliographic records for Seemiller’s work.
WorldCat, international records of the Ingolstadt 1787–1792 edition.
Studies on the history of incunabula bibliography and on the cataloging of 18th-century university libraries.