Ilona Hubay was a specialist in incunabula (pre-1501 printed books) and other early printed books. Having finished her secondary studies in Pécs, she studied art history at the University of Budapest

University of Budapest

The Eötvös Loránd University or ELTE, founded in 1635, is the largest university in Hungary, located in Budapest.-History:The university was founded in 1635 in Nagyszombat by the archbishop and theologian Péter Pázmány. Leadership was given over to the Jesuits...

, where she received a doctorate in 1938. She worked as a librarian in the National Széchényi Library

National Széchényi Library

The National Széchényi Library is a library in Budapest, Hungary. It is one of the two Hungarian national libraries, the other being the University of Debrecen Library.-History:...

 of Hungary, where she was a curator and cataloguer of the Apponyi

Apponyi

Apponyi de Nagy-Appony is a Hungarian surname and noble family. It may refer, among others, to the following people:* György Apponyi de Nagy-Apponyi , Count, Hungarian chancellor...

 collection, becoming a head librarian in 1945. In 1951, she was deported by the Communist authorities to a ranch near Szeged

Szeged

' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....

, together with her mother. In 1960, she left Hungary for Germany, where she worked first as a librarian in the provincial library  (Landesbibliothek) in Coburg

Coburg

Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...

, and then from 1962 to 1976 as a curator of the collection of incunabula in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich.

Most famous is her survey of existing copies of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible

Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with a movable type printing press, and marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of the printed book. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status...

, Die bekannten Exemplare der zweiundvierzigzeiligen Bibel und ihre Besitzer (1985). 47 copies, and their owners, were identified. After this publication two more copies were found in Russia. Later the overview was extended in the on-line British Library's Incunabula Short Title Catalogue

Incunabula Short Title Catalogue

The Incunabula Short Title Catalogue is an electronic bibliographic database maintained by the British Library which seeks to catalogue all known incunabula. The database lists books by individual editions, recording standard bibliographic details for each edition as well as giving a brief census...

.

Works

• Missalia hungarica. Régi magyar misekönyvek, (Old Hungarian missals). Budapest (1938)
• Magyar és magyar vonatkozású röplapok, újságlapok, röpiratok az OSZK-ban 1480-1718, (A catalogue of flyleaves and journals from and about Hungary in the National Library of Hungary, 1480-1718) Budapest, 1948.
• Incunabula der Universitätsbibliothek Würzburg, Wiesbaden (1966)
• Incunabula Eichstätter Bibliotheken (1968)
• Incunabula aus der Staatlichen Bibliothek Neuburg/Donau [und] in Der Benediktinerabtei Ottobeuren. Ottobeuren (1970)
• Incunabula der Staats- und Stadtbibliotliek Augsburg. Wiesbaden (1974)
• Die bekannten Exemplare der zweiundvierzigzeiligen Bibel und ihre Besitzer (1985)