When compiling the short-title catalogue of books printed in the sixteenth-century northern Netherlands from 1541 to 1600, Paul Valkema Blouw was confronted with a large number of ‘problem cases’, such as anonymously and/or surreptitiously printed editions, fictitious printers and undated or falsely dated printed works. By minutely analysing the typefaces, initials, vignettes and other ornaments used, drawing from his extensive knowledge of secondary literature, archival information and his unrivalled typographic memory, he not only managed to attribute a surprising number of these publications to a printer, but also could establish the period of time in which, as well as the places where, they must have been printed. These findings and the ways in which they were reached are described in the present collection of papers. They are of paramount importance to scholars engaged in research of the period concerned, whether in the field of church history, national history or book history

Thousands of men and women were executed for incompatible religious views in sixteenth-century Europe. The meaning and significance of those deaths are studied here comparatively for the first time, providing a compelling argument for the importance of martyrdom as both a window onto religious sensibilities and a crucial component in the formation of divergent Christian traditions and identities. Brad S. Gregory explores Protestant, Catholic, and Anabaptist martyrs in a sustained fashion, addressing the similarities and differences in their self-understanding. He traces the processes and impact of their memorialization by co-believers, and he reconstructs the arguments of the ecclesiastical and civil authorities responsible for their deaths. In addition, he assesses the controversy over the meaning of executions for competing views of Christian truth, and the intractable dispute over the distinction between true and false martyrs. He employs a wide range of sources, including pamphlets, martyrologies, theological and devotional treatises, sermons, songs, woodcuts and engravings, correspondence, and legal records. Reconstructing religious motivation, conviction, and behavior in early modern Europe, Gregory shows us the shifting perspectives of authorities willing to kill, martyrs willing to die, martyrologists eager to memorialize, and controversialists keen to dispute.

This essay collection aims to bring together new comparative research studies on the place of the Bible in early modern Europe. It focuses on lay readings of the Bible, showing their central contribution to modernity, and interrogates established historical paradigms.