Josef von Kurzböck
Josef Ritter von Kurzböck | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Vienna, Habsburg monarchy |
| Died | December 18, 1792 (aged 57) Vienna, Habsburg Empire |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, printer, bookseller, author |
| Known for | Productive printer of Serbian Cyrillic texts in the Austrian Empire |
Josef Ritter von Kurzböck, also known as Joseph von Kurzbeck (born 21 November 1735 in Vienna, Habsburg monarchy – died 18 December 1792 in Vienna, Habsburg Empire), was an Austrian entrepreneur involved in printing, bookselling, commerce, estate management, and authorship. He is especially recognized as one of the most productive printers of Serbian Cyrillic texts within the Austrian Empire.
Biography
In 1755, Kurzböck inherited his father's university-affiliated book printing workshop, which originally operated with just two presses. Over time, he expanded this enterprise to include 15 presses capable of producing books in Illyrian (Serbian Cyrillic) and various Oriental scripts. His pioneering work in typography earned him authorization to open a university bookstore. Kurzböck enhanced techniques related to type casting and letterpress printing, allowing his private press to rival that of Johann von Trattner (1717–1798), the official Court Printer. His printed materials were regarded among the highest quality throughout the Holy Roman Empire, which then consisted of Austria and Hungary. In recognition of his achievements, Empress Maria Theresa granted him nobility in 1776. Additionally, he translated multiple Italian literary works and issued an enlarged version of the "Almanac de Vienne en faveur des éstrangers" in both German and French in the year 1779.
After Kurzböck passed away in 1792, his Serbian (Illyrian) printing operations were purchased by Stefan von Novaković, while the Oriental-language press was taken over by Anton Schmid (1765–1855).