You are here

LUTHER, MARTIN (1483-1546)

  • Presented by Bernhard K. Schaefer '20, the collection includes over 200 Lutheran pamphlets ranging in date from 1518-1560. Pieces represent the full range of Luther's printed works: sermons, devotional tracts, commentaries, controversial writings, and editions of the works of others, and represent over half of Luther's printed output (at least for the early years). For details see: E. Harris Harbison, "Luther Pamphlets" in the Princeton University Library Chronicle XVII, 4 (Summer, 1956) pp. 265-267 [full text] .

    Later (1967) Schaefer made a further gift of Lutheriana. About 170 items, it contained many highspots of the Schaefer collection.

    The Schaefer collection emphasizes three aspects of Luther:

     

    1. Luther's force as disputant, tractarian, and theologian.

     

    2. Luther's importance as a translator of the Bible.

    3. Luther's influence beyond central Europe, especially in America.

     

    For further particulars refer to: Paul Wagner, "A Luther Exhibition. Selections from the gift of Bernhard K. Schaefer" in the Princeton University Library Chronicle XXIX, 1 (Autumn, 1967) pp. 103-106 [full text] .

    Benzing's Luther bibliography has been checked against the Princeton holdings; see: Josef Benzing. Lutherbibliographie. Verzeichnis der gedruckten Schriften Martin Luthers bis zu dessen Tod. (Baden-Baden, 1966) [(ExB) 3471.2.016].

    Also not to be overlooked are Luther pamphlets mixed in with a collection of Reformation and pre-Reformation pamphlets acquired by the Library in the 1870's as part of the Trendelenburg Collection. A bibliographically detailed listing as well as an historical account of these pamphlets is given in: William Warner Bishop. German Reformation Pamphlets in Princeton University Library (Princeton, 1904) [Ex 1580.152.01]. (Pamphlet is an offprint from the Princeton University Bulletin Vol. XV, No. 3, pp. 183-199.) The Ex copy is annotated with the call numbers of the pamphlets covered by the list. Also, at end, is a list, with call numbers, of 12 pamphlets not on Bishop's printed inventory as well as a list of 4 imperfect pamphlets. Scan of the University of Michigan copy of this pamphlet is available at http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/libraryhistory/1904_Bishop.pdf.

    Final note: call numbers for many Luther pamphlets are: (Ex) 1580.152 (14 vol.) and (Ex) 3471.2.399 (15 vol.)

Research Tools for Printed Material (Books, Maps, Prints, etc.)