Melchior Lotter
Illustration — Melchior Lotter the Elder • Illustration — Bible printed by Lotter Lotter was the last name of a family of German printers, intimately connected with the Reformation. The founder of the family was Melchior Lotter, the elder, born in Aue, and well-known at Leipzig as early as 1491. He published missals, breviaries, a Persius (1512), Horatii Epistolæ (1522), and Luther Tessaradecos Consolatoria pro Laborantibus (1520).
Also recorded as Melchiar Lotter · Melchior Lotther · Melchior Lottherus · Melchior Lotter the Elder
Melchior Lotter

This image has been extracted from another file · Public domain
- Born
- 1470 · Aue.
- Died
- 1549 · Leipzig.
- Nationality
- Germany
- Occupation
- typographer · publisher · cartographer
- Languages
- German
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Illustration — Melchior Lotter the Elder • Illustration — Bible printed by Lotter Lotter was the last name of a family of German printers, intimately connected with the Reformation. The founder of the family was Melchior Lotter, the elder, born in Aue, and well-known at Leipzig as early as 1491. He published missals, breviaries, a Persius (1512), Horatii Epistolæ (1522), and Luther Tessaradecos Consolatoria pro Laborantibus (1520).
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gnd · 1072886294 · wikidata · Q71314 · wikipedia · Melchior Lotter
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His relations with the Reformation are not perfectly clear, but he seems to have been a sympathizer. An innovation by the elder Lotter was his use of Roman types for Latin, reserving the Gothic types for German. His son was also named Melchior (died c. 1542), which has resulted in some bibliographical confusion. Melchior, the younger, is best known for printing Martin Luther's Bible, Das Neue Testament (1522), and the impressions of 1523 and 1524 of the Old Testament, which was transferred afterward to Hans Lufft. He published many other German writings of Luther. Only a little less important was his bringing a Greek font to Wittenberg, thus giving Melanchthon the means to carry on classes in Greek. When he returned to Leipzig, about 1525, Lotter carried on his father's business.
Antiqua et insignis Epistola Nicolai Papa I., ad Michaelem Imperatorem... https: books.google.com/books?id=GeBKAAAAcAAJ&pg=false
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1470
Melchior Lotter born at Aue.
1549
Melchior Lotter died at Leipzig.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Aue.
Birth place
Leipzig.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Melchior Lotter”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q71314: Melchior Lotter
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
scholarly publication
- Melchior Lotter, Early Music Printing in German-Speaking Lands, 2018
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2018
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1072886294, Melchior Lotter (Leipzig).
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
References
Citations
References
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scholarly publication
Melchior Lotter, Early Music Printing in German-Speaking Lands, 2018Crossref registry
Institutional witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1072886294, Melchior Lotter (Leipzig).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
His recorded language was German. One child is recorded: Melchior Lotter.
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 16 August 2026.
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