Osvaldus de Laskó and Pelbartus de Temesvár in Press

Johann Rynmann, Heinrich Gran and the Publication of Books in the Medieval Franciscan Order

Abstract

Pelbartus of Temesvár (c. 1435–1504) and Osvaldus of Laskó (c. 1450–1511) are the two most published authors of old Hungarian literature. Their works were highly popular not just in Hungary, but internationally as well. From 1497 on, the works of the two observant friars were continuously published in print in many Western European cities. The editiones principes of both Pelbárt’s (Stellarium, Pomerium, Rosarium, Expositio) and Osvát’s (Biga salutis, Gemma fidei) works were all published by Johann Rynmann, and printed in Heinrich Gran’s press at Hagenau. Based on this
we can assess that strong ties bound the two Hungarian friars and the pair of Rynmann and Gran together. However, even to this day, more detailed research is yet to be made as to the nature of their relationship, since those scholars that treat the question only do so passingly and in little detail (first János Karácsonyi, most recently Zsófia Ágnes Bartók). To remedy this, I shall examine the printer’s and publisher’s practices of Gran and Rynmann and attempt to outline a hypothesis regarding the publication process of the works in question.