Hartmann Schedel

Hartmann Schedel. Liber Chronicarum. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger for Sebald Schreyer and Sebastian Kammermeister, 1493.

This extremely ambitious example of early printing is commonly known as the Nuremberg Chronicle. Nuremberg doctor and humanist Hartmann Schedel’s encyclopedic text offers a year-by-year Germanic history of the world, from creation to contemporary times.  While it is a product of the Renaissance, the Chronicle follows the medieval narrative tradition of St. Augustine by dividing history into six “Ages,” analogous to the Bible’s six days of creation.  The text and illustrations cover both biblical and non-biblical events, natural disasters, wars, political dynasties, and the founding of cities, with a particular focus on Germany and the Western world.  This book is the most profusely illustrated book published in the 15th century.

Link:Information on the Chronicle held by the Bavarian State Library, along with complete digitalization.