It’s always amazing to me to consider what was going on at the same time that Gutenberg was developing his system of moveable type and bringing in Fust and Schoeffer to help him fund and execute his big idea. Recently I was in Florence, and had the opportunity to visit the San Marco Monastery, which in addition to having the most dazzling paintings by Fra Angelico, also happens to have one of the world’s most beautiful libraries. It’s mostly a museum space now, displaying some of the incredible manuscript choir-books used by the monks. When you hear publishers nowadays talk about “big books” you might instead consider one like this.
It’s a “Gradual”, lettered in 1451-1452 by two of the monastery’s monks. 1451-1452–the very same year that, in Mainz, the Gutenberg workshop was beginning work on the monumental printed Vulgate Bible. I wanted to show you the size of it, along with the side view of the massive brass bosses that protected the cover in an original 15th century binding. The midpoint of the 15th century was a big year, it seems: it’s also the date the architect Michelozzo built the library itself for Cosimo de’ Medici, who had a cell of his own in the monastery upstairs. The artist-scribes for several of these large choir books were Zanobi Strozzi, a famous pupil of Fra Angelico, and Filippo di Matteo Torelli. Here’s an open page from a different book to show you how sumptuous and impressive they were inside, as well as out.
Dear Ms. Christie, congratulations on your book (which I have not yet read) and its success. I am an independent scholar living in Germany, specifically in the town of Staufen, in which the historic Dr. Faustus is said to have died. In the Rathaus hangs an 18th-century portrait of a man inscribed “IOANNES FAUSTUS”. I have identified it recently as a portrait of Johannes Fust, and have been doing research on this figure and the Fust/Faust confusion in tandem with a Faust expert in the US (Frank Baron). We are dismayed at the lack of literature on Fust, including here in Germany. The only book on Peter Schoeffer comes from the States (Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt, 1950!). Do you have any sources on Fust? I would appreciate any suggestions. Sincerely, Jean-Marie Clarke
Hello Mr Clarke,
There’s no monograph or other biographical work on Fust, unfortunately. I’ll write you an email
with citations for an article or two I found. Hope you enjoy the book! I’m still trying to find a
German publisher, so if you have any ideas, please let me know! It’s been published in half a dozen
languages but not, sadly, Deutsch. All best, Alix
Dear Alix
“Some very big books” Truly interesting and wonderful book and I have seen some very big books, but I cannot get my head round “Some very small books.”
How did they manage to make such small lead type and so precise. I am thinking of the Enchiridion militis Christiani 1522 printed by Johann Schöffer the book is only 6 inches by 4 inches and the type is so small yet perfect. How on earth did they manage to create the type? Could they cast each letter and then hand tool it, or was it done another way? My mind boggles. If anyone knows it is surely yourself. Help please!
Best wishes
Joe.
Dear Joe,
I wish I could tell you — I have not seen the Enchiridion militis Christiani of 1522 but will definitely check it out now. My grandfather printed The Gettysburg Address in 4 pt and the type was extraordinarily tiny but still cast the same way as larger type. So perhaps Johann Schoeffer, Peter’s son, did this as well, remarkable though it would have been for the time. Thanks for writing! Best, Alix
Dear Alix
I am starting to re-read The Gutenberg’s apprentice, yet again!
I seem to read it every year.
Makes me think that there is another book to be written by you.
I was looking at a book I have, (Plays, never before printed. Written by the thrice noble, illustrious, and excellent princesse, the Duchess of Newcastle London, [1668]) printed by A Maxwell in the year 1668.
The copy I have is annotated and corrected in the hand of Margaret Cavendish herself, (known as “Mad Madge”) probably because she was an intelligent and forceful woman and therefore disliked by men of her times.
What got me thinking was Anne Maxwell, a printer best known for printing Margaret Cavendish’s scientific treatises. Now yourself a printer it came to me that though there has been several books about early female authors, I cannot call to mind books about female printers and publishers. Would that not be a book written by yourself I ask? A book I certainly would buy.
My best wishes to you
Joe.
Dear Joe, Thanks for this very interesting suggestion. I’m familiar with Margaret Cavendish of course but not her printer Anne Maxwell. Indeed this sounds like a fruitful area of investigation. I am also amazed that you have an original printing of Cavendish’s plays–are you a collector? printer? researcher? yourself? I believe that Siri Hustvedt used Cavendish as a motif in her novel “The Burning World,” which I will now have to go reread myself. I’m no longer in London but would love to see your library someday! And thank you very much for your continued interest and support–it’s tremendously gratifying to know that Gutenberg’s Apprentice is being reread and reread. Kind regards, Alix