To the gentle reader.

An elaborate ornamental initial 'H' features intricate scrollwork and floral flourishes.

Here at last my long-promised European Book Lexicon sees the light of day. The long delay was caused by nothing other than the lack of the large and heavy costs required for it. In the meantime, it has suffered no greater damage than that it has been increased by many thousands of books. My intention was never to publish such a work in print. When, during my years of apprenticeship in the book trade, I noticed a considerable decline in my own memory, I was only concerned with creating help for myself by recording the books. Since the number of authors and books has increased so significantly over these 54 years, and since both learned men and booksellers showed a great desire to possess such a list, I decided eight years ago to share it through the press. My collection now amounts to at least one hundred and some twenty thousand books. Therefore, the publisher could not release it at the originally set price—which, according to the first estimate, one had only calculated with Marcus Tullius Cicero at twelve alphabets—without the greatest damage and loss, especially since, as is evident, it has grown with this small corpus-type to sixteen and a half alphabets. Consequently, no one will have cause to complain about the now-set price of 8 Thaler a silver coin, especially when one considers the heavy labor involved. Whether it appears without error, I must doubt to some extent, as it seems an impossibility with such a collection, because one has never had all the books themselves in hand or before one's eyes. Consequently, it can easily happen that one may have been able or forced to copy an error from another. But if someone should take this as an opportunity to blame and censure the book, I ask them to act reasonably and first make an attempt to see how easy or difficult such work is; then they will decide whether to criticize or not. I do not mean to say hereby that my book is full of errors, but only that, if a few should unexpectedly be found therein, one should not immediately tear them to shreds, but consider how difficult it is in such work to avoid all errors. If, however, someone should point out a major error, or not find a certain book which they possess or have published themselves, and would not find it too much trouble to send me such information at a good opportunity, along with the necessary details of the years, format, place, and publisher, as well as the quires, for future improvement and supplementation, then the learned world, along with me, will undoubtedly be greatly indebted to them, and should it yield something substantial, one would also not accept the effort without real appreciation. Some of my fellow believers have indeed disapproved of my diverse undertaking, advised against it, and even tried to hinder it with all cunning...