Sacred legends in versions from the incunabula and early printing period in Cologne are examined here with special reference to the light they cast on aspects of the transition from writing to printing. Central to the study are the Latin and vernacular legends of the patron saints of the City of Cologne (the Magi and St. Ursula). Further chapters are devoted to the passions of the four virgin martyrs Barbara, Dorothea, Katharina and Margareta and to legend editions from Cologne humanist sources. Observations on the history of printing and the traditions discernible in the handing-down of these legends are used as a basis for a discussion of the specific locus of these texts in the development of late medieval popular piety and of Cologne's urban identity.