Stephan Füssel

Martin Luther's Bible, published in 1534, was the first complete German Bible and a pivotal event in the history of Christianity. Luther's revolutionary translation, modern in vernacular and interpretation, made the Bible accessible to laypeople, fueled anger and revulsion toward Rome and the Papacy, and begat a new religion: Protestantism. The most desirable copies came with shockingly graphic and politically-charged illustrations, such as those depicting the Whore of Babylon riding a seven-headed beast while wearing the Papal crown, or the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse led by a Turkish soldier. TASCHEN is publishing the 117 hand-colored woodcut illustrations, created in the workshop of Lucas Cranach. Each is meticulously reproduced from a rare and sumptuous original copy, belonging to the Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek in Weimar. Stephan Füssel provides a scholarly overview of Luther's life, the historic context and cultural significance of his Bible, and detailed descriptions of the illustrations and their iconography.

The complete reprint of all 363 color plates from Braun and Hogenberg's survey of town maps, city views, and plans of Europe, Africa, Asia and Central America, with dozens of unusual details, as well as selected extracts from the original text and an in-depth commentary. First published in Cologne 1572-1617."

1493's must-have history book and city guide by Hartmann Schedel Hartmann Schedel's Weltchronik, or Chronicle of the World (better known today as the Nuremberg Chronicle, after the German city in which it was created), was a groundbreaking encyclopedic work and at the time the most lavishly illustrated book ever printed in Europe. Both a historical reference work and a contemporary inventory of urban culture at the end of the 15th century, the Chronicle was to have a remarkable influence on the cultural, ecclesiastical and intellectual history of the Middle Ages. It was particularly notable for its vast quantity of woodcut illustrations (more than 1,800) depicting events from the Bible, human monstrosities, portraits of kings, queens, saints and martyrs, and allegorical pictures of miracles, as well as views of a great number of "modern" cities, many of which had never been documented before. Today, copies of the Chronicle sell for up to 0,000 dollars; we've procured a rare hand-colored copy, true to the original in every respect, and created a complete facsimile of utmost quality. In case you don't read Middle High German, the comprehensive annex, with summaries of the book's main stories, provides a user-friendly way to explore this amazing historical masterpiece.

Let there be light: Medieval bible manuscripts in impeccable reproductionIn the beginning was the word, and in the Middle Ages were kings, princes, and high-ranking religious members whose wealth and influence produced illustrated bibles of extraordinary craftsmanship.This Bibliotheca Universalis edition brings together 50 of the finest medieval bible manuscripts from the Austrian National Library. With examples from every epoch of the Middle Ages, the collection explores visualizations of the bible in various theological and historical contexts. In impeccable reproduction quality, these stunning images may be appreciated as much as art historical treasures as they are important religious artifacts.Texts by Andreas Fingernagel, Stephan Fussel, Christian Gastgeber, and a team of 15 scientific authors describe each manuscript in detail, exploring both the evolution of the Bible and the medieval understanding of history. A glossary of important terms is also included so that those not versed in bible history can enjoy the texts as well.About the series: Bibliotheca Universalis Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price!Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, the name TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together nearly 100 of our all-time favorite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia.Bookworm s delight never bore, always excite!"

Alphabet legend: The complete reproduction of a typographical masterworkOfficial printer for the Duke of Parma, Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813) declared that well-designed type derived its beauty from four principles: uniformity of design, sharpness and neatness, good taste, and charm. In his Manuale tipografico, published posthumously in 1818, he distilled these principles into a comprehensive catalog of type and set the standard for printing the alphabet thereafter.TASCHEN s meticulous reprint of Bodoni s masterwork celebrates what was an unprecedented degree of technical refinement and visual elegance, as well as exploring the origins of the much-loved Bodoni typeface, still much deployed in both print and digital media. Like the original, the book features 142 sets of roman and italic typefaces, a wide selection of borders, ornaments, symbols, and flowers, as well as Greek, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, Phoenician, Armenian, Coptic, and Tibetan alphabets.About the series: Bibliotheca Universalis Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price!Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, the name TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together nearly 100 of our all-time favorite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia.Bookworm s delight never bore, always excite!"

Talk of the town A landmark in urban mapping More than four centuries on from its first publication, discover one of the jewels of urban cartography and civic studies. This quality reprint includes the most enchanting color plates from the Civitates orbis terrarum, a magnificent collection of town map engravings, produced between 1572 and 1617. Featuring plans, bird's-eye views, and maps for all major cities in Europe, plus important urban centers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, this masterwork in urban mapping gives us a comprehensive view of city life at the turn of the 17th century. It was edited and annotated by theologian and publisher Georg Braun and largely engraved by Franz Hogenberg, but also involved over a hundred different artists and cartographers who contributed not only town views, but additional elements, such as figures in local dress, courtroom scenes, and topographical details, to help convey the situation, commercial power, and political influence of each city. TASCHEN's reprint contextualizes the plates with selected extracts from Braun's original texts on the history and significance of each urban center as well as detailed commentaries to place each city map in its cartographical and cultural context.

The Book That Changed the World A complete reprint of the revolutionary Gutenberg Bible The printing press has been called the greatest invention of the second millennium. Published in Mainz around 1454, the Gutenberg Bible was the first major Western publication to be printed with movable metal type, ushering in a whole new age of knowledge distribution through mass-produced books. Before Gutenberg, woodcut printing and early forms of movable type printing had been mastered in Asia, but had not reached Europe. Instead, every book produced in Europe had to be copied by hand in a long, labor-intensive process. With Gutenberg's innovation of mechanical movable type, it became possible to significantly speed up production without sacrificing quality. Gutenberg's invention radically enriched public knowledge, pioneering mass communication and allowing people to access ideas, and participate in discussions, like never before. When it comes to radical revolutions in public education, the Gutenberg Bible is comparable to the Internet. This complete Gutenberg Bible reprint derives from one of the very few surviving complete vellum edition worldwide; the Gottingen Library edition, which is consequently one of the most valuable books in the world and has also been listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World program. All 1,282 pages of this artistic and technological masterwork are included, along with a companion book written by Stephan Fussel, Gutenberg-Chair at Mainz University, introducing Gutenberg and his transformative influence, as well as two important documents of the time: the Gottingen Model Book which was used to illuminate the Gottingen Library edition and the only surviving notary document by Ulrich Helmasperger, which records the history of this unique invention and its product, the Gutenberg Bible.

The Last Knight The legendary tales of Emperor Maximilian, the first ruler to employ the new possibilities of book printing The amazing tales of the knight Theuerdank and his companion, Ehrenhold, comprise the last great epic verse of the late Middle Ages. The courageous knight’s journey to woo his future wife, Mary of Burgundy, and his triumph in battles and other perilous acts of bravery are the focus of this highly embellished "real-life" story of Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519). A king of Germany before becoming Holy Roman Emperor in 1508, Maximilian was a great patron of the arts and commissioned a trilogy of luxurious illustrated books to immortalize his existence. Theuerdank, the only volume to be published during his lifetime, was composed by Melchior Pfinzing based on Maximilian’s rather fanciful draft. The 118 ornate, gold-adorned woodcuts?one for each chapter?were made by Hans Burgkmair the Elder, Hans Schäufelein, and Leonhard Beck, while the typeface (known as the Theuerdank typeface and marked by its striking “elephant trunks”) was especially designed for the book by the printing workshop of Hans Schönsperger the Elder. Theuerdank (named after Maximilian’s adventure-seeking alter ego) is both of great historical significance and exceptional beauty. Black-and-white originals dating from the 16th century occasionally surface and have fetched prices up to L35,000?but now the entire work can be appreciated, in stunning color and quality, at an accessible price. This complete reprint, made to exacting standards from an extremely rare hand-colored original from the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, comes with an essay by Stephan Füssel (covering Maximilian’s life and work, as well as his role in the art of printing and use of printed materials) and selections from Melchior Pfinzing’s original clavis, or “key,” which was included in the original to kindly point out to Maximilian’s contemporaries exactly what part of the tales were more fiction than fact. The collection also contains a chapter-by-chapter re-telling of the tales in modern vernacular, exploring the narrative strategy and real events behind the allegories.