Exhibition “The Block Books of the Munich University Library”

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A block book is a work printed on wooden panels containing images and text. A distinction is made between chiroxylographic (images printed as woodcuts, text written by hand), xylographic (images and text both carved into wood), and typoxylographic (images printed as woodcuts, text set in type) block books, which cannot always be clearly separated. They date back to the 15th century; some scholars place them before the further development of the art of printing by Gutenberg around 1420/1430, while others argue for a later date. Block book production ceased around 1530.

Worldwide, there are just under forty titles in about a hundred different editions known to exist. With nine titles in eleven editions, the University Library of Munich has the third largest collection of block books in the Federal Republic of Germany after the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and the Berlin Kupferstichkabinett.

Date and location of the exhibition

• Duration of the exhibition: March 16, 2026 – June 28, 2026
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Location: University Library Loan and Exhibition Hall in the LMU main building, section F, ground floor (F015, location on the floor plan (LMU Raumfinder)), Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 München
  

Contact
Dr. Sven Kuttner
University Library of LMU Munich
Deputy director
Special Collections Department
E-mail: sven.kuttner@ub.uni-muenchen.de