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incunabula

/ˌɪnkyʊˈnæbyələ/
IPA guide

The first books and pamphlets that were produced in the very earliest days of the printing press are referred to as incunabula.

All printed reading materials made before about 1501 are collectively known as incunabula. These broadsheets, pamphlets, and books are extremely rare, as the printing press wasn't invented until about 1440. By the beginning of the 16th century, printing had begun to spread throughout Europe, and printed books were more and more common. Nineteenth-century historians chose the Latin word incunabula, "cradle or birthplace," to name these earliest items printed during the "birth" of mechanized printing. The term is also used for early examples of any type of art or literature.

Definitions of incunabula
  1. noun
    books printed before 1501, during the early stages of printing
  2. noun
    the earliest stages of something, especially in art or culture
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