The Paul Oskar Kristeller Memorial Lecture
Prof. Dr. Eef Overgaauw
Director, Manuscripts Department
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin

When Johannes Gutenberg and his followers started printing books, around 1452, the production of manuscripts did not come to a sudden end. On the contrary: during the second half of the 15^th century, the production of handwritten books increased substantially until the 1480s and remained high until the end of the 1490s. In the course of the 16^th century we notice the appearance of new kinds of manuscripts, unknown in the 15^th century, such as cookery books and handbooks for craftsmen. These developments came along with a shift in the conditions for the production of manuscripts, in the design and lay-out of manuscripts, and in writing and reading habits, as Europe shifts dramatically to an ever growing number of printed books.