This catalogue describes in detail the collection of German printed books held by the British Museum. Five centuries of illustrated books are represented, by far the most numerous and interesting being those of the sixteenth century. The collection includes the work of many German artists, from the great, Albrecht Duerer, to lesser and anonymous figures, whose illustrative and decorative work in printed books can be studied alongside the Department's superb collections of German prints and drawings. Some of these books are rare, a few probably unique, and several are of interest also for their texts and provenances.