Greek Grammar

The Roman numeral for seven.

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original: "GRAMMA"; the first letter is partially obscured by a decorative gold band.

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original: "GRAECA"

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K.

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12

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original: "VENET", an abbreviation for Venice (Venetiis).

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Grammatica Graeca: A Greek Grammar book.
Venice: A leading center of European printing in the 15th century, especially for Greek texts.
Incunabula: A term for books printed before the year 1501, during the "infancy" of the printing press.
Shelfmark: A specific identification code (Magl. K.6.12) used to locate the book within the library’s collection.

Visual Description:
The image shows a highly detailed gilt-tooled leather spine. It is divided into seven decorative compartments. The labels identify the book's subject (Greek Grammar), its location in the library (K. 12), and its historical origin (Venice, 1484). This type of ornate binding suggests the volume was part of a prestigious collection, likely bound or re-bound in the 18th or 19th century to match a specific library's aesthetic.

Text on the spine

Likely an abbreviation for "Title" or "Volume" (Titulus or Tomus). Possibly "Records" (Acta) or the initials of a specific author, collector, or library section. The Roman numeral for 3, indicating the third volume of a set.

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The Roman numeral for 2, indicating the second volume.

Binding: The structural cover of the book, designed to protect the internal pages.
Marbled paper: A decorative paper with swirled, stone-like patterns, often used on the covers of older books.
Leather spine: The reinforced back edge of the book where the pages are sewn together.
Gold tooling: A decorative technique where gold leaf is pressed into the leather using heated metal stamps.
Roman numerals: A traditional numbering system (I, II, III, IV, etc.) frequently used in library cataloging.