Johannes de Spira
Johannes de Spira (* in Speyer ; † 1469 or 1470 in Venice , also known as Johannes from Speyer ) was the first printer in Venice.
Career
Spira came from Speyer, his family name is unknown. He may have been a goldsmith by trade and a wealthy man in Venice. In 1469 he set up a printing workshop there and printed Cicero's Epistolae ad familiares twice in an edition of 300 copies each. Then he asked the council to grant a privilege and received this on September 18, 1469 for a period of five years. After the printing of Pliny’s Natural History, Augustine 's De civitate dei was to follow. However, the printing could only be completed by his brother Wendelinus de Spira , who announced the sudden death of his brother in the closing letter.
John married the widowed daughter of an Italian and had a son and a daughter.
Works printed by Spira
- Cicero : Epistolae ad familiares. 2 editions, Venice 1469.
- Pliny : Naturalis Historia . Venice 1469.
- Augustine : De civitate dei . , Venice 1470 - completed by the brother.
literature
- Ferdinand Geldner : The German incunabula printer. A manual of the German printer of the XV. Century by place of printing. Second volume: The foreign language areas. Anton Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1970. P. 62 ff. ISBN 3-7772-7022-9 .
- Jakob Franck : Johann von Speyer . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, pp. 472-475.
Web links
- Prints by Johann von Speyer in the complete catalog of incandescent prints
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Spira, Johannes de |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Johannes from Speyer |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Book printer in Venice |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 15th century |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Speyer |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1469 or 1470 |
| Place of death | Venice |