The first bestseller in world history
The ultimate, epic saga of love, war, death, destruction, hope, power and faith. Excerpts from Stephan Füssel`s introduction to 'The Luther Bible of 1534'
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Impact and language of the first complete Bible
Numerous quotes from Luther's letters provide evidence that the printing of this first complete version in 1534 took up much of his time. For instance, he mentions in several letters dated June 1534 that he had to "feed his printers a little". Exactly 12 years after publication of the September-Testament, this first complete Bible was presented at the Michaelismesse trade fair in Leipzig from 4 to 11 October 1534, in a new translation. A bound copy cost 2 guilders and 8 groschen, which was five times as much as a copy of the New Testament. Numerous enthusiastic letters from the same year have survived, praising the "flawless and perfect translation" and underlining that "to the intelligent man, it almost replaces a commentary" (Antonius Corvinus in a letter dated 24 November 1534). These comments by the parish priest from Witzenhausen lay the foundation for the later widespread concept that Luther's translation could not be improved and that his forceful language simply made any further theological commenting unnecessary.
Despite the fact that it was relatively expensive, the first 3000 copies must have sold out very quickly, for the edition was reprinted nearly unchanged in Wittenberg in 1535, 1536 and 1539. It was not until the Bible editions of 1539 and 1541 were published that the texts were revised and given a different layout, in which the text was arranged in two columns. A more thorough revision was undertaken for the Wittenberg edition of autumn 1541, the Medianbibel, so called because of its generous format; most of the illustrations were by the Master MS. The revision was advertised on the title page: "Auffs New zugericht" and great care was taken to produce a flawless printed book. In a "warning" Luther inveighs against illegal and unreliable reprinters: "For as they all see nothing beyond their miserliness / they hardly ask / if they printed it right or wrong / and it often occurred to me / that I read the works of the reprinters / and found it distorted / so that I did not recognise my own work / in many places".
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Impact and language of the first complete Bible
Numerous quotes from Luther's letters provide evidence that the printing of this first complete version in 1534 took up much of his time. For instance, he mentions in several letters dated June 1534 that he had to "feed his printers a little". Exactly 12 years after publication of the September-Testament, this first complete Bible was presented at the Michaelismesse trade fair in Leipzig from 4 to 11 October 1534, in a new translation. A bound copy cost 2 guilders and 8 groschen, which was five times as much as a copy of the New Testament. Numerous enthusiastic letters from the same year have survived, praising the "flawless and perfect translation" and underlining that "to the intelligent man, it almost replaces a commentary" (Antonius Corvinus in a letter dated 24 November 1534). These comments by the parish priest from Witzenhausen lay the foundation for the later widespread concept that Luther's translation could not be improved and that his forceful language simply made any further theological commenting unnecessary.
Despite the fact that it was relatively expensive, the first 3000 copies must have sold out very quickly, for the edition was reprinted nearly unchanged in Wittenberg in 1535, 1536 and 1539. It was not until the Bible editions of 1539 and 1541 were published that the texts were revised and given a different layout, in which the text was arranged in two columns. A more thorough revision was undertaken for the Wittenberg edition of autumn 1541, the Medianbibel, so called because of its generous format; most of the illustrations were by the Master MS. The revision was advertised on the title page: "Auffs New zugericht" and great care was taken to produce a flawless printed book. In a "warning" Luther inveighs against illegal and unreliable reprinters: "For as they all see nothing beyond their miserliness / they hardly ask / if they printed it right or wrong / and it often occurred to me / that I read the works of the reprinters / and found it distorted / so that I did not recognise my own work / in many places".
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
The Luther Bible of 1534
Hardcover, 2 Vol. + Booklet, 19.7 x 30.8 cm (7.8 x 12.1 in.), 1888 pages
$ 150.00
$ 150.00
The complete reprint of Luther's seminal publication
Mark, fol. XXIIv: The evangelist Mark, illuminated by the rays of the Holy Ghost, writing in his room; to the left his attribute, the lion
Daniel, fol. XIIIIr: The map of the world as seen by Daniel in his dream