The University of North Texas Libraries is proud to announce the acquisition of a remarkable first edition of Liber Chronicarum cum Figuris et Ymaginibus ab initio Mundi—better known as the Nuremberg Chronicle—printed on July 12, 1493, by Anton Koberger in Nuremberg, Germany. Widely regarded as one of the most celebrated and extensively illustrated incunables (books printed before 1501), the Chronicle is a cornerstone in the history of printing.

This exceptional copy survives in its original 15th-century binding, featuring the coat of arms of the city of Vienna. It retains wide margins, complete gatherings, and pristine condition with no restorations—qualities rarely found together in surviving examples.

Often described as the first illustrated encyclopedia, the Nuremberg Chronicle synthesizes classical, biblical, and medieval sources into a sweeping visual history of the world from Creation to the Last Judgment. Its author, Hartmann Schedel (1440–1514), was a physician, humanist, and book collector whose extensive library informed the text. The volume is richly illustrated with more than 1,800 woodcuts—city views, genealogies, maps, portraits, and biblical scenes—many reused throughout the book.

Printed by Anton Koberger, then Europe’s largest printer, the Chronicle was financed by Nuremberg merchants Sebald Schreyer and Sebastian Kammermeister. Their vision produced a massive folio of over 600 pages, issued in both Latin and German editions in the same year. This copy represents the Latin first edition.

The Nuremberg Chronicle is housed in UNT Special Collections and available for viewing by appointment in the Judge Sarah T. Hughes Reading Room. For more information or to schedule a visit, please contact specialcollections@unt.edu.