1445-1513

German Publisher and Printer

One of the outstanding publishers of the fifteenth century was Anton Koberger, reputed to have operated 24 presses, employed 100 printers and craftsmen, and had agencies in most of the principal cities of Europe for the sale of his books and for manuscript acquisition. Before his death in 1513, Koberger's presses issued 236 products, most of which were theological in character, which is logical considering that reading skills were not commonplace in his lifetime and theologians were the scholars of his time. (Reportedly, his only oversight was in turning down Martin Luther's request to become his publisher.) Three of the most influential illustrated early German printed books were produced by the Koberger press—in 1488 the Lives of the Saints by Voragine; in 1491 the Schatzbehalter, a religious treatise by Stefan Fridolin; and in 1493 his most famous work, the Weltchronik, also known as the Liber Chronicarum and...