An Annotated Bibliography of Printed and Online Primary Sources for the Middle Ages
Halporn, Barbara C., ed., trans., The Correspondence of Johann Amerbach: Early Printing in its Social Context (Ann Arbor MI: The University of Michigan Press, 2000).
Text name(s):
Number of pages of primary source text: 354
Medieval Author(s): Amerbach, Johannes
Dates: 1481 - 1513
Archival Reference:
Original Language(s): German; Latin;
Translation: English translation.
Translation Comments:
Geopolitical Region(s): Europe; France; Switzerland;
County/Region: Basel; Paris
|
Record Type(s): Letter |
Subject Heading(s): Church Fathers Classics / Humanism Economy - Crafts and Industry Family / Children Maritime Material Culture: Food, Clothing, Household Science / Technology Towns / Cities Women / Gender |
Apparatus: Index Bibliography Introduction
Comments:
During the late Middle Ages, the printing of books (as opposed to their creation by hand) began to increase. This volume contains the incoming (and some of the outgoing) correspondence of one of the earliest book printers: Johann Amerbach of Basel. Amerbach was one of the first generation of German humanists, intent upon producing reliable Latin editions of the Church Fathers, particularly Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine. Subjects of Amerbachs correspondence include the complaints of his buyers about water damaged merchandise, transportation problems, practical issues of ink, paper, and equipment, the threats of war and of robberies, information on the market for various texts (the Glossa Ordinaria was apparently a bestseller), and financial arrangements with agents in various cities across Europe Also included are letters of a more personal nature, including admonitions to his unruly university-student sons in Paris not to write home for money, and his daughters elopement with a spice merchant already engaged to another woman. The editor draws together Amerbachs correspondence thematically to present a biography of the man, and to reach conclusions about the book trade in the late 15th century.
Introduction Summary:
The editors brief (12 pp) introduction gives some historical and social context for book printing in the late 15th century, both its practical application and its intellectual implications. She also provides a brief biographical sketch of Amerbach, an overview of the types of books he printed and of his financial situation throughout his career, and a brief summary of the contents of his correspondence.
Cataloger: MCB