Martin Schott (d. 22 November 1499) was a book printer from Strasbourg. One of the earliest printers in Strasbourg, his catalog reflected the tastes of the higher classes in Germany at the time of German

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

Biography

Schott hailed from a high-ranking family. He was the son of Friedrich Schott, a woodcutter and sculptor. His father's interest, and his marriage to a daughter of the printer

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 active during the period during which incunabula ...

, may have led him to become a printer. He did not inherit his father in law's business, which went to another son in law of Mentelin's,

Adolf Rusch Adolf Rusch von Ingweiler (ca. 1435 – 26 May 1489 in Straßburg) was a notable German printer and publisher. He was the first printer north of the Alps to print in Antiqua. Life and work Rusch was probably born at Ingweiler in Alsace. Befor ...

. In contrast to Mentelin's company, Schott used a more modern (but sometimes less attractive) process. His first known printing was a plenarium, in 1481; his last was the version of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the est ...

's ''

Philippicae The ''Philippics'' ( la, Philippicae, singular Philippica) are a series of 14 speeches composed by Cicero in 44 and 43 BC, condemning Mark Antony. Cicero likened these speeches to those of Demosthenes against Philip II of Macedon; both Demo ...

'' by the early German humanist

Jakob Wimpfeling Jakob Wimpfeling (25 July 1450 – 17 November 1528) was a Renaissance humanist and theologian. Biography Wimpfeling was born in Sélestat (Schlettstadt), Alsace, Lorraine. He went to the school at Sélestat, which was run by Ludwig Dringen ...

, in 1498. It is sure, however, that he must have been printing works before 1480; given the paucity of the research into Strasbourg's history of printing, these chronological limits as well as the number of his books cannot be precisely determined, according to the ''

Deutsche Biographie ''Deutsche Biographie'' ( en, German Biography) is a German-language online biographical dictionary. It published thus far information about more than 730,000 individuals and families (2016).Historische Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie ...

''. Twenty-one, or perhaps twenty-five, books are known to have come from his press, but it may be that not all his books were printed under his own name, and the large number of

incunable In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pr ...

s printed in Strasbourg also suggest he may have printed some of those. The '' Lucidarius'', a 12th-century

summa Summa and its diminutive summula (plural ''summae'' and ''summulae'', respectively) was a medieval didactics literary genre written in Latin, born during the 12th century, and popularized in 13th century Europe. In its simplest sense, they might ...

, may have been the earliest of his books. While he printed a small number of books, they were voluminous, and Schott clearly valued artistic embellishment. His catalog reflected the interest of the established classes in Strasbourg at the time of German humanism, and contained German versions of a biography of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

, of

Guido delle Colonne Guido delle Colonne (in Latin Guido de Columnis or de Columna) was a 13th-century Italian judge and writer, who lived in Messina. He is the author of a prose narrative of the Trojan War entitled '' Historia destructionis Troiae'' ("History of the ...

's ''

Historia destructionis Troiae ''Historia destructionis Troiae'' ("History of the destruction of Troy"), also called ''Historia Troiana'', is a Latin prose narrative written by Guido delle Colonne, a Sicilian author, in the early 13th century. Its main source was the Old Fr ...

'', and of the 11th-century encyclopedia ''

Elucidarium ''Elucidarium'' (also ''Elucidarius'', so called because it "elucidates the obscurity of various things") is an encyclopedic work or ''summa'' about medieval Christian theology and folk belief, originally written in the late 11th century by Hono ...

'' (a source for the ''Lucidarium''). He also printed Latin works. His

printer's mark A printer's mark, device, emblem or insignia is a symbol that was used as a trademark by early printers starting in the 15th century. The first printer's mark is found in the 1457 Mainz Psalter by Johann Fust and Peter Schöffer. One of the mo ...

was a tree not planted in any soil and displayed in full, with the letters "M. S.". His son, Johannes Schott, was likewise a printer. The first book known to be his work was printed in 1500, and he printed work from

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Luther ...

and other reformers throughout his career.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schott, Martin 1499 deaths German printers Businesspeople from Strasbourg