Johannes Mentelin
Johannes Mentelin, sometimes also spelled Mentlin, (born around 1410 in Schlettstadt, today Sélestat; died December 12, 1478, in Strasbourg) was a pioneering German book printer and bookseller. In 1466 he printed and published the first German language Bible.
Also recorded as Johan Mentelin
Johannes Mentelin

Kuebler (illustrateur), Grieshaber (lithographe) et M.F. Boehm (lithographe) · Numistral · CC0
- Name
- Johannes Mentelin
- Birthplace
- Schlettstadt (today Sélestat, Grand Est)
- Born
- 1410
- Died
- 1478
- Nationality
- Free Imperial City of Strasbourg
- Occupation
- printmaker · typographer · illuminator · notary · book printer
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Documentary summary
Johannes Mentelin, sometimes also spelled Mentlin, (born around 1410 in Schlettstadt, today Sélestat; died December 12, 1478, in Strasbourg) was a pioneering German book printer and bookseller. In 1466 he printed and published the first German language Bible.
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Note VALÉORINE
Johannes Mentelin (1410–1478) was a book printer, illuminator and notary, among other activities and a national of the Free Imperial City of Strasbourg. Born in Sélestat, the book printer died in Strasbourg. Johannes Mentelin worked for Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg and worked in Strasbourg. Languages used include Middle High German.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q735685 · wikipedia · Johannes Mentelin
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Johannes Mentelin • Birthplace — Schlettstadt (today Sélestat, Grand Est) • Illustration — Lithograph of Johannes Mentelin • Illustration — Bust of Mentelin inside the Humanist Library of Sélestat
Career
Career
Mentelin came from Selestadt and in 1447, Johannes Mentelin gained the rights of a Strasbourg citizen. He was first a Goldschreiber (calligrapher and book scribe) by profession and worked in addition as an episcopal notary. At the end of the 1450s Mentelin founded his Strasbourg printery. At the time there was still no other place where printing was done besides Mainz. It is likely, that Mentelin either got his knowledge directly there or through a middleman. Such a go-between might have been Heinrich Eggestein. It is suspected that he had been introduced to the trade of book printing during his stay in Mainz from Johannes Gutenberg. He did not set up his own Offizin (an old German term for a book printing company) until the middle of the 1460s. Due to a lack of sources, the final clarification of this question must unfortunately remain unanswered for now. From the available data, it can however be concluded that Mentelin was the first book printer active in Strasbourg and thus one of the first anywhere in Europe, even before Heinrich Eggestein. The first printing which carries Mentelin's name is Augustine's Tractatus de arte praedicandi from the year 1465. However, it is assumed that Mentelin had already begun to print significantly earlier, probably even already in 1458. His oldest known printed work is a Latin Bible printed with 49 lines per page ("B49"), whose first volume is dated 1460. As Gutenberg's Bible was printed with 42 lines per page, Mentelin's had fewer pages and proved handier. Mentelin quickly achieved business success, which made him a prosperous man. In 1466, he was even awarded a coat of arms by Emperor Frederick III. After about 20 years as a book printer, Mentelin died on December 12, 1478, in Strasbourg. He was buried in the cemetery of the (no longer existing) St.-Michael's-Chapel. His grave was later removed and is now inside Strasbourg Cathedral. One of daughters married the book printer Martin Schott, and another married Adolf Rusch.
Printed works
Printed works
• Illustration — Vincentius Bellovacensis „Speculum maius“ Straßburg 1473 Teil 3 "Speculum historiale" In 1466 he printed and published the first German language Bible. However, about 40 printed works are ascribed to Mentelin's Strasbourg Offizin. His printing and publishing list contained predominantly theological and philosophical works in Latin, whose purity of text was ensured by scholarly proofreaders. Among others, works of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, John Chrysostom, Isidore of Seville and Albertus Magnus were issued. In 1472 he published the Postilla super totam Bibliam, Nicolaus de Lyra's commentary of the Bible. Mentelin also published texts of classical antiquity (such as Virgil's Opera and the Comoediae of Terence). As the only German book printer, Mentelin printed Medieval court literature, such as Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival and Der jüngere Titurel ("The Younger Titurel") of Albrecht von Scharfenberg.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1410
Johannes Mentelin born at Sélestat.
1478
Johannes Mentelin died on 12 December 1478.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
reference work
- “Johannes Mentelin”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q735685: Johannes Mentelin
Unverified · Wikidata
Literature
•. •. •. •.
![Isidorus Hisppalensi, Etymologiae. Straßburg, Johannes Mentelin, [date inconnue].](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Etymologiae%2C_J._Mentelin.png/800px-Etymologiae%2C_J._Mentelin.png)
Isidorus Hisppalensi, Etymologiae. Straßburg, Johannes Mentelin, [date inconnue].
Johannes Mentelin · François Ritter, Histoire de l'imprimerie alsacienne aux XVe et XVIe siècles, Paris: F.-X. Le Roux, 1955, p. 32.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Haus Publishing. Gutenberg. 2020. 9781912208685.
- 2.Haus Publishing. Gutenberg. 2020. 9781912208685.
- 3.Steiff. Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie. 32. 405–406. 1891.
- 4.Haus Publishing. Gutenberg. 2020. 9781912208685.
References
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authority file
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Further particulars
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Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the heading Johan Mentelin. His recorded language was Middle High German. Other recorded relations include Adolf Rusch and Martin Schott. Recorded with the occupation book printer. Recorded as printmaker, typographer, illuminator and notary.
Identity and origins
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Prints
4,138 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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- Johannes JelgerhuisEngraver
- Johannes Josephus AartsEngraver
- Johannes LutmaEngraver
- Johannes Pieter de FreyEngraver
- Johannes van HaensbergenEngraver
- Johannes WierixEngraver
- John A. O'NeillEngraver
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