editiones principes

literature

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June 25, 2026

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An editio princeps refers to the first printed edition of a work that was previously circulated in manuscript form. The term is Latin for "first edition". This concept is closely related to incunabula, which are books printed in Europe from the invention of typography in the 1450s up to the end of the 15th century.12

The practice of producing critical editions and ensuring textual accuracy has roots in ancient Alexandria, where scholars aimed to collect and catalog Greek books, creating scholarly editions with commentaries. However, by the time the first printed editions (editiones principes) of classical texts began appearing in the 1470s, many Greek and Latin authors were circulating in a debased textual condition, and these manuscripts often served as the source for early printers.3

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textual criticism
From antiquity to the Renaissance
…the first printed editions (editiones principes) of classical texts began to appear, most Greek and Latin authors were circulating in a textually debased condition, and it was manuscripts of this character that almost always served as copy for the early printers. Very little editing in any real sense of…
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…the first printed editions (editiones principes) of classical texts began to appear, most Greek and Latin authors were circulating in a textually debased condition, and it was manuscripts of this character that almost always served as copy for the early printers. Very little editing in any real sense of…
Read More