While the production of the Guttenberg Bible in the mid 15th century constitutes the most important milestonetemp in the history of printing, the happy marriage of moveable type and mechanized illustration is best represented by the 1493 book, Liber Chronicarum, more popularly known as the Nuremberg Chronicle. The University Libraries is fortunate to have not one but two copies of this splendid work, both of them in Latin (A German version was published later the same year). The first is located in the Special Collections Department at the Main Library while the second resides in the John Martin Rare Book Room. The text (a seven part history of the world) is the work of Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514), a German physician and scholar, while the hundreds of woodcuts come from the workshop of Michael Wolgemut (1434 – 1519), a German printmaker.
Birth of Adam
It is probable that many of the illustrations were the work of Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) one of the most important artists of the renaissance. Because wood-cut blocks (like metal type) employ a raised printing surface (unlike engravings), the metal type and the wood blocks can be set in the same printing chase. The impressions made using this arrangement allow text and illustration to be shown side-by-side. The Nuremberg Chronicle contains over 645 distinct illustrations (with many illustrations used more than once), including a variety of biblical scenes, stylized cityscapes, iconic genealogic trees, battle depictions, and maps (the New World being conspicuous by its absence). The Hardin Library’s copy is available for examination in the rare book room.
