The Nuremberg Chronicle
The Nuremberg Chronicle printed by Anton Koberger in 1493 is one of the oldest books held at Traquair.
The Chronicle tells the story of human history related in the Bible and contains 645 woodcuts that are often repeated so there are a total of 1809 pictures.
Known as the Nuremberg Chronicle after the city in which it was published, it appears in both Latin and German editions (German edition held at Traquair) and was a staggering achievement in the world of early printing.
The Chronicle was a team effort. The author, Hartmann Schebel, was a medical doctor and book collector reputed to have one of the largest collections of books in Europe and drew upon some of his medieval texts to compose the history in the Chronicle. Two wealthy merchants, Sebastian Kammermeister and Sebald Schreyer financed the printing and the woodcuts were undertaken by the workshop of Michael Wolgemut. Among the various artists who illustrated the Chronicle it is alleged that Albrecht Dürer was a contributor as he was an apprentice of Wolgemut.
It is not known how the Nuremberg Chronicle came to Traquair but the library contains a number of early books perhaps collected on by the Earls of Traquair on their travels to Europe in the 1700’s.