AMERBACH, JOHANN

(ca. 1443-1513)

Founder of the most influential publishing firm of RenaissanceBasel. He was born in Franconia and studied in Paris with Johann Heynlin von Stein, one of the men who introduced the firstprintingpress to the French capital; but he probably learned the printing trade atVenice. He attracted many educated men to his enterprise, including Heynlin and the humanistsBeatus Rhenanus,Johann Reuchlin, Conrad Pellikan, andSebastian Brant, all of whom worked as editors for him. In association withJohann Frobenand Johann Petri, he began by publishing traditionalscholastictextbooks; but the distinctive feature of his activity was his publication ofhumanisticand patristic texts. His younger partner Froben continued and expanded this publishing program. His youngest son, Bonifacius (1495-1562), studied law at Freiburg-im-Breisgau underUlrich Zasiusand atAvignonunderAndrea Alciati. Bonifacius became professor of civil law at Basel and was highly influential in the field of jurisprudence because he achieved a synthesis of Alciati'smos gallicuswith the traditionalmos italicus, which emphasized study of medieval Italian jurisprudence. An intimate friend ofErasmus, Bonifacius corresponded with many of the leaders of European intellectual life.