[FUGGER, Wolfgang.] [Ein nutzlich und wolgegrundt Formular manncherley schöner Schriefften. Als teutscher, lateinischer, griechischer, unnd hebraÿscher Buchstaben …]
SKU: 88194087137

[FUGGER, Wolfgang.] [Ein nutzlich und wolgegrundt Formular manncherley schöner Schriefften. Als teutscher, lateinischer, griechischer, unnd hebraÿscher Buchstaben …]

Sale price$2250.00 Regular price$2500.00
Save 10%

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 6 - Jul 11

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

[FUGGER, Wolfgang.] [Ein nutzlich und wolgegrundt Formular manncherley schöner Schriefften. Als teutscher, lateinischer, griechischer, unnd hebraÿscher Buchstaben …]How Could Art and Knowledge Exist if There Were No Art of Writing? [FUGGER, Wolfgang.] [Ein nutzlich und wolgegrundt Formular manncherley schner Schriefften. Als teutscher, lateinischer, griechischer, unnd hebrascher Buchstaben ] [Nuremberg: Katharina Dieterichin for Wolffgang Starck. Not before 1576.] Small oblong 4to. Recased in its original eighteenth century binding reusing a ? fourteenth century German manuscript fragment on vellum (see below);

‘How Could Art and Knowledge Exist if There Were No Art of Writing?’

[FUGGER, Wolfgang.] [Ein nutzlich und wolgegrundt Formular manncherley schöner Schriefften. Als teutscher, lateinischer, griechischer, unnd hebraÿscher Buchstaben …] [Nuremberg: Katharina Dieterichin for Wolffgang Starck. Not before 1576.]

Small oblong 4to. Recased in its original eighteenth-century binding reusing a ?fourteenth-century German manuscript fragment on vellum (see below); ff. [97] of [104]; wanting ff. A1 (title), A2–B1 (dedication, note to reader), L2 (italic minuscule) and 2C4 (colophon); rear hinge cracked, final quire loose, quire B reinforced at inner margin; numerous woodcut illustrations and diagrams in the text; light marginal dampstaining at head (heavier to quire B), light spotting and toning; else a good copy; small booklabel removed from front pastedown at an earlier date, eighteenth-century German bibliographical note to front free endpaper.

Rare second edition – the contents unchanged save for the colophon – of the Nuremberg printer Wolfgang Fugger’s (1519-1568) extremely important calligraphic manual (first 1553), printed by Katharina Dieterichin (d. 1605), widow of Dietrich Gerlach.

Fugger’s manual is ‘supreme as an example of engraving. The specimens are cut in relief, apparently on soft metal, with extreme accomplishment, and in this respect it surpassed earlier writing-books in beauty and clearness […] the book was intended, secondarily, as an aid to cutters of printers’ types, and it has a place in the history of typography as the earliest to deal in any way with the design of types' (Carter, preface to 1955 reprint).

In his dedication to Joachim Tetzel, Fugger writes, ‘How could art and knowledge exist if there were no art of writing? […] Any language which is not well written (being ugly or illegible) is a disadvantage; for a clumsy hand appears ugly to all men’ (ibid., trans. Plaat). The present writing manual describes how to properly cut a quill and the appropriate position of the hand and the arm for writing (showing examples of ‘clumsy’ and proper techniques) before detailing a variety of German (Kurrent, Kantzlei, Fraktur), blackletter (Textura and Rotunda, the description of the latter making reference to the Schwabacher and Wittenberger types), Roman (italic, antiqua, Roman capitals), Greek, and Hebrew scripts. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to Hebrew, including passages from the Book of Esther, an explanation of the theory of gematria, and three pages of sheet music; Fugger also makes reference to the work of Hebraist Sebastian Münster.

The eighteenth-century German bibliographical note mentions the earlier calligraphic work of Johann Neudörffer the Elder – Fugger’s teacher (to whom he refers in the present text) and the author of the first notable German calligraphy manual in 1519, who in turn had collaborated with Durer – adding a reference to Doppelmayr’s 1730 Historische Nachricht von den nürnbergischen Mathematicis und Künstlern. Fugger also owes much to Dürer, his geometric Roman capitals in the final portion reminiscent of Dürer’s 1525 Unterweysung der Messung. The second edition reuses the plates of the first and the content of the text is unchanged, the date of 1553 from the first edition appearing as a part-title to both editions. Gerlach (also known as Dieterichin) likely acquired the plates from the heirs of the printer of the 1553 edition, Valentin Gessler (d. 1576). In this edition, however, Gerlach employs a variety of sizes of text and distinctly more elaborate woodcut initials than Gessler, replacing his fleurons with elaborate woodcut tailpieces.

The binding reuses a fragment of German manuscript waste (?first half fourteenth century), comprising c. 11 lines of visible text in three columns, from verses 34 and 35 (front board: ‘qualitate factor[um]. iudex ver[us e]t iustus […] non putam[us] ite[randa]’; rear board: ‘[complec]tatur velut quib[usdam] fid[e]i sue brachiis […] Prophetavit itaq[ue] Simeon’) from St Ambrose of Milan’s commentary on the Gospel of Luke, this portion, on the Nunc Dimittis, cited by Aquinas in his Catena aurea.

Both the first and second editions are rare both institutionally and in commerce. Collectively, OCLC finds ten copies in the US (Columbia, Harvard, Huntington, Illinois, LoC, Morgan, Newberry, SMU, Stanford, Yale) and only two in the UK (BL, NAL).

Becker 56; BM STC German, p. 327 (imperfect); Brunet II, col. 419 (1553 edition but not mentioning printer); Graesse II, p. 645 (‘Nürnb. 1553’); Jessen 2269; VD16 3336/3338. Not in Adams.

SKU: 2124967

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 88194087137

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 747 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
R
Ray
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Work casual shirt that travels well:
Size: Large, Color: Dusty Blue, Size: Large, Color: Dusty Blue
This shirt runs true to size with a bit of room for more. The material is a bit stretchy which helps keep the shirt looking great without major wrinkles. The shirt itself is comfortable and feels like it'd last through many washes and the care instructions are fairly simple (cold wash and low dryer). This particular color is unusual and compliments many outfits. Given the quality, this is a high value item. Just go easy with the iron.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2026
B
Verified Purchase
bearsman54
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 4
Good shirt for the money
Size: Medium, Color: White
Solid shirt, fits well
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2026
T
TallerThanAverage
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Gorgeous blue color, fits me very well, nicely made and comfortable
Size: Large, Color: Dusty Blue, Size: Large, Color: Dusty Blue
I'm 6'1" 180lbs, sleeve normally 34" and neck 16", and this fits me pretty much perfectly. The material looks really good, I find this particular shade of blue (pattern) to just look really cool. Slightly darker than a typical men's blue shirt, with a slight bit of sheen. Its a medium thickness fabric, not flimsy feeling at all. I find this comfortable. Its smooth to the touch although I always would wear an undershirt personally. Claims to be Italian design? The cut to me seems to be a very standard look, no frills but "sharp" to my eye. The packaging did a good job of protecting the shirt, though it did show up with some extra creases. But that doesn't really matter since it would have needed an ironing before first wearing it regardless. And I do appreciate that the packaging was not excessively wasteful of plastic etc. I haven't worn it a zillion times yet so I can't comment on longevity. Given the price around 22 bucks I'd say this is a good value. Not sure why this color was slightly more expensive (10%) than white or regular blue. Review for "Alimens & Gentle Mens Oxford Shirts Stretch Long Sleeve Dress Shirt for Men Casual Business Work Solid Button Down Shirts"
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2026
M
Verified Purchase
Michael Kulp
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 5
Highly Recommended Dress Shirt
Fit Type: Regular Fit, Color: White, Size: Medium
Honestly, I Love It. Fits Great, Neck Isn't Too Tight Like Most Shirts, And It's Comfortable. It Is 100% Cotton, So Dont Forget To Iron It Before Wearing It. High Quality Dress Shirt. Highly Recommended.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2025
J
Verified Purchase
Jim
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
Surprisingly good shirt for the price
Fit Type: Regular Fit, Color: White, Size: XX-Large
I’m generally pleased with my purchase. I got a 2XL because the website it would fit my neck. Around the waist it fit similar to Amazon Essentials work shirts (like mechanics use which I find comfortable). It was snug around the waist when sitting, but I can’t complain because I have a belly. I did find the neck snug when buttoning the top button so it means the neck is 18 or 18.5 and I wear a 19/19.5 to have 1-2 fingers space in the collar. The shirt is surprisingly thick like Amazon’s work shirts, much thicker than other dress shirts from another brand. And I am pleased that this shirt has button holes like other Amazon shirts does, all vertical button holes except the last one at the bottom which is horizontal. That feature keeps the shirt from unbuttoning itself during daily movement at the office. A very nice feature! I was a little disappointed in how it was packaged however but I have to press and wash it anyway.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2023

recommand products