The Nuremberg Chronicle
The Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) is one of the most famous early printed books. It is a history of the known world written by German humanist Hartmann Schedel, incorporating Biblical, classical, and European traditions. The Nuremberg Chronicle is a large-scale work: BYU’s copy measures nearly 18 inches tall. The book is known for its elaborate illustrations, which were produced at the workshop of Michael Wolgemut, who was the leading artist in the city of Nuremberg and a teacher of Albrecht Dürer. It was printed by Anton Koberger, the most prosperous German printer of the late 15th century.
BYU owns a near-complete edition of the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle, as well as a 1497 reprint of the text published in Augsburg. The text was translated from Latin into German in the 1490’s, and Special Collections has several modern facsimiles which use the German translation. If you can’t read Latin or German, though, never fear; Special Collections has just purchased an English translation too!
To find the original Nuremberg Chronicle, the translations, and other facsimiles, just search the Library Catalog using the author search “Schedel, Hartmann.” Don’t forget to limit your search to Special Collections.