Günther Zainer (or Zeyner or Zeiner) (died 1 October 1478) was the first printer in

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

, where he worked from 1468 until his death; he produced about 80 books including two German editions of the Bible and the first printed calendar. He came to Augsburg from

Strassburg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

and printed in 1472–76 three large works of moral instruction. He also printed the first large illustrated book,

Jacobus de Voragine Jacobus de Voragine, OP (13/16 July 1298) was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of the '' Golden Legend'', a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the mediev ...

's ''Legenda aurea'' in 2 volumes with 131 woodcuts, 1471–76. Johann Zainer, the first printer in Ulm, was probably his brother.

Life

Günther Zainer was related to

Johann Zainer Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

, a printer at Ulm, perhaps his brother. In 1463 he married Agnes Krieg at Straßburg and was a painter and goldsmith in that town. He probably learnt to print from

Johannes Mentelin Johannes Mentelin, sometimes also spelled Mentlin, (born around 1410 in Schlettstadt, today Sélestat; died December 12, 1478, in Strasbourg) was a pioneering German book printer and bookseller. In 1466 he printed and published the first Germa ...

. In 1468 he began to print in Augsburg. In 1472 he was a burger of Augsburg. Zainer was one of the printers of the new printing shop in the Augsburg St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey.

Works

About 80 books are known to have been printed by Zainer, of which most were for the use of the clergy. Zainer also printed popular literature in German, works on building and medicine and calendars. In 1468 '' Meditationes vitae domini'' was the first book he is known to have printed. The German edition of the ''

Legenda Aurea The ''Golden Legend'' ( or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of 153 hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in Europe during the Late Middle Ages. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary Maddoc ...

'' of

, was the first illustrated book he printed. In 1471/72 Zainer made the first printed edition of the extremely popular ''

Der Heiligen Leben ''Der Heiligen Leben'' ('The Lives of Saints'), also known as ''Passional'', was a German legendary, compiled by a Dominican friar from Nürnberg around 1400. Today, 197 manuscripts are known, along with 33 High German and 8 Low German imprints; ...

''.Marianne E. Kalinke, ''The Book of Reykjahólar: The Last of the Great Medieval Legendaries'' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996), p. 4. In 1472 appeared the ''

Etymologiae (Latin for 'Etymologies'), also known as the ('Origins'), usually abbreviated ''Orig.'', is an etymological encyclopedia compiled by the influential Christian bishop Isidore of Seville () towards the end of his life. Isidore was encouraged t ...

'' of

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville (; 4 April 636) was a Spania, Hispano-Roman scholar, theologian and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seville, archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of the 19th-century historian Charles Forbes René de Montal ...

About 1475 he printed a German edition of the Bible, with a second edition in 1477. Günther Zainer’s printing was of high quality, as to paper, presswork and typefaces: 32 illustrated books and broadsides with altogether 100 illustrations testify to his interest in decoration. His first German Bible is decorated with 73 ornamental initials.

References

Bibliography

* Falkenstein, Karl: ''Geschichte der Buchdruckerkunst in ihrer Entstehung und Ausbildung''. Leipzig 1840; p. 157 * Funke, Fritz: ''Buchkunde''. München-Pullach 1969; pp. 86; 164; 226; 228

External links

*
''Liber margarita Dauitica seu, Expositio Psalmorum'', Augsburg, G. Zainer, 1475?
– digital version

at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

. Scroll through the collection to see 28 works by Zainer. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zainer, Gunther German printers Printers of incunabula 1478 deaths Year of birth unknown Medieval German merchants 15th-century German businesspeople