Christoph Corvin

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The "Encyclopaedia" Johann Heinrich Alsteds printed by Corvin

Christoph Corvin, also: Corvinus, Rabe (* 1552 in Zurich , † January 19, 1620 in Herborn ) was a German printer and publisher . He was the first and most important book printer in the history of the Herborn High School .

Life

Corvin was the son of the printer Georg Rab from Pforzheim . Corvin attended high school in Zurich and began studying at Heidelberg University in 1570 . Two years later he moved to Wittenberg and finished his studies at the University of Vienna in 1574 .

From 1575 he worked in his father's printing and publishing company in Frankfurt am Main , which he took over in 1580. The growing aversion of the Frankfurt Council to the practice of the Reformed faith, to which Corvin professed, and the strict supervision of book printing by the imperial book commission in Frankfurt since 1580 made Corvin's stay here impossible.

In that year Corvin married Anna Hagen, the widow of the Lutheran pastor Jakob Hagen .

Therefore, on July 15, 1585, he accepted the appointment as an academic printer in Herborn . Despite the restrictions imposed by his printing contract (sharp prior censorship of all print products by the school board of the Herborn University or the Count), Corvin was able to expand his business considerably and keep pace with the growing prosperity of the Herborn University. In 1589 Corvin married for the second time: Ursula Hilgard, a daughter of the Wetterau bailiff Hilgard.

Up to 1592 his printing works and his publishing house in Frankfurt can be traced. In 1595 he temporarily moved to Siegen with his printing business from the university . In 1599 he was already employing ten journeymen and a proofreader. The total number of prints from his press - as the title vignette they had the image pointing to his name, how the ravens bring Elias bread - far exceeds 1000, all with beautiful printing and error-free typesetting, but puritanically unadorned. Half of all prints come from the pen of Herborn professors, all of them from the Reformed area of ​​faith.

Corvin married a third time in 1602: Anna Herrmann, a daughter of Johann Jakob Herrmann from Herborn . With his three wives, Corvin had a total of 17 children.

Corvin was not only the first but also the most important printer of the Nassau ancestral lands. In addition to his printing works, he also had an extensive book trade, as he was contractually obliged to supply the Herborn professors and students as well as the count's library with new publications. Corvin was also respected for his charity.

Works printed by Corvinus

Among the most important works printed by Corvinus are the Piscator Bible (translation and commentary by the Herborn theology professor Johannes Piscator ) in three editions (1602-1604, 1604-1606 and 1617), the Politica of Johannes Althusius and Johann Heinrich Alsteds Encyclopedia.

The most widespread works printed by Corvinus include his Luther Bible since 1595, the Reformed hymn book (from Lobwasser's translation of the Psalms) and the Catechism, both of which are reprinted almost every year. He was also known for his Bible translations, which he published in 1615 on the death of Caesar.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Corvin, Christoph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Corvinus, Christoph; Raven, Christoph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German printer and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH 1552
PLACE OF BIRTH Zurich
DATE OF DEATH January 19, 1620
Place of death Herborn