De vita & moribus summorum pontificum historia, 1529

The Lives of the Pope (shown here) was the first systematic recording of papal history. This title page features a large woodcut border produced by Anton Woensam of Worms (c. 1500–1541), a German illustrator and woodcutter. The detailed woodcut depicts primary figures in church history: it shows Christ, the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), the four doctors of the Latin Church (St. George the Great, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome), and Peter and Paul.

Title pages emerged as unique to the printed book in the fifteenth century and became more elaborate and complex until the seventeenth century. This book is a prime example of the sophistication and attention given to title pages in the period.