The
Nuremberg Chronicle follows the story of human history as related in the Bible. It was written in Latin by Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514) a classic polymath. According to a 1498 inventory, his library included works of grammar, logic, rhetoric, astronomy, astrology, mathematics, philosophy, plus works relating to his studies in medicine, surgery, the history of science, religion and theology.
The chronicle is one of the best-documented early printed books -an incunabulum (printed, not hand-written) -and one of the first to successfully integrate illustrations and text. Two Nuremberg merchants, Sebald Schreyer (1446–1503) and his son-in-law, Sebastian Kammermeister (1446–1520), commissioned the Latin version of the chronicle on 29 December 1491. They also commissioned Georg Alt (1450–1510), a scribe at the Nuremberg treasury, to translate the work into German. Both Latin and German editions were printed by Anton Koberger in Nuremberg. Scribes recorded contracts, bound into volumes, and deposited in the Nuremberg City Archives. From December 1491, the first contract established the relationship between the illustrators and patrons. The painters Wolgemut and Pleydenwurff were to provide the layout of the chronicle, oversee the production of the woodcuts, and guard the designs against piracy. (WIKIPEDIA)
Note: Since Wolgemut was young Albert Dürer's teacher, it's possible that the latter contributed some of the illustrations.
For a 21st-century individual, this is entertainment at its best!
But remember, Schedel is just transmitting his epoch's popular beliefs. The book is a compendium of wondrous and exciting creatures populating the unknown world.
There are about 1, 200 copies of the book left: 800 in latin, 400 in german.
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