Johannes Mentelin

Johannes Mentelin
Born	Template:Birth year and age Schlettstadt (present-day Sélestat)
Died	Strasbourg
Occupation(s)	Printer, bookseller, calligrapher, episcopal notary
Years active	1458–1478
Known for	Earliest German language Bible (1466), Strasbourg's first printer

Johannes Mentelin, occasionally spelled Mentlin, (circa 1410 – December 12, 1478) was an innovative German printer and bookseller originating from Schlettstadt (present-day Sélestat). In 1466, he produced and distributed the earliest German language Bible.

Career

Initially a calligrapher and an episcopal notary, Mentelin obtained citizenship in Strasbourg in 1447. By the late 1450s, he had launched his printing enterprise in Strasbourg, which was among the few printing hubs beyond Mainz at that time. It is probable that he learned printing techniques either directly from Mainz or through intermediaries like Heinrich Eggestein, who may have had ties to Johannes Gutenberg. Mentelin holds the distinction of being Strasbourg’s first printer and one of the earliest printers in Europe, preceding Eggestein.

The earliest printed work bearing Mentelin’s name is Augustine’s Tractatus de arte praedicandi (1465), although indications suggest he started printing as early as 1458. His Latin Bible ("B49") from 1460 is notable for having 49 lines per page, fewer pages overall, and greater portability compared to Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible.

Mentelin rapidly gained commercial prominence, earning a coat of arms granted by Emperor Frederick III in 1466. After around twenty years in the printing trade, he passed away in Strasbourg in 1478 and was laid to rest at St.-Michael's-Chapel; his burial site now lies within Strasbourg Cathedral. His family maintained his professional heritage through marital connections with printers Martin Schott and Adolf Rusch.

Printed works

Mentelin was responsible for printing and publishing the first German language Bible in 1466. Approximately forty printed editions are credited to Mentelin’s Strasbourg Offizin, predominantly theological and philosophical Latin texts that were carefully reviewed by academic proofreaders. His repertoire included authors such as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, John Chrysostom, Isidore of Seville, and Albertus Magnus. In 1472, he issued the Postilla super totam Bibliam, a Bible commentary authored by Nicolaus de Lyra. Additionally, Mentelin published classical works from antiquity like Virgil's Opera and Terence's Comoediae. Distinctively among German printers, he also produced Medieval court literature including Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival and Der jüngere Titurel by Albrecht von Scharfenberg.

Literature

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