Zeitgeschichte im Druck

Abstract

Summary Contemporary History in Print Augsburg Chronicle Editions of the 16th Century. A Reflection on the (In–)‌Stability of Printed Chronicles In late medieval and early modern cities, readers and writers were certainly interested in history and in chronicling contemporary events. Even after the establishment of the printing press in German speaking areas large amounts of local and regional chronicles were written and copied by hand. In contrast, very few non-scholarly, vernacular chronicles were published in print. This fact is usually explained by pointing out the functional differentiation between the handwritten and the printed medium: Chroniclers could easily change, enhance or update texts while copying and compiling as long as they worked in the medium of handwriting. While this is certainly true, printed chronicles deserve more attention. This article explores the connections between the rich tradition of urban chronicles, ongoing practices of chronicling as well as the printed medium and the new sources of information connected with the printed medium in the first half of the 16th century. These complex relations are examined through a group of four printed German chronicles published in Augsburg and subsequently in other cities in more than twenty editions. The paper focuses particularly on the processes of revision and adaptation taking place in Philip Ulhart’s printing shop in Augsburg. Furthermore, the article offers methodological reflections on how to study and compare multiple editions of printed books adequately. The aim is to show why it is necessary to focus not only on their content but also on layout, paratexts and codicological proprieties in order to reveal the textual (un–)‌fixity of printed chronicles.