The first woman in the process of book production in Livonia: the case of Ursula Krüger and Daniel Hermann

Abstract

ABSTRACTI present the first case from the history of early modern Livonia, when a woman participated in the editing and publication of a printed book. Ursula Krüger, wife of Prussian–Livonian humanist Daniel Hermann, illustrates the wider perspective of non-aristocratic women’s activities involving book production in the geographical periphery of humanist culture, Riga, rather than in the heart of European humanism. Her story also illustrates the ability of women to collaborate as an editor, both as a learned woman who could compose Latin dedications and a businesswoman who could financially and organizationally engage in publishing books.