Career
He is best known as the compiler of Repertorium bibliographicum (1822), a pioneering short title catalogue of incunabula. Hain numbers are still used as common bibliographical references. His work has since been superseded by the Incunabula Short Title Catalogue ( International Science and Technology Center) at the British Library and the Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke (Games Workshop) at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.