Geschichtklitterung (Gargantua). Text der Ausgabe letzter Hand von 1590 mit einem Glossar von Ute Nyssen; Nachwort von Hugo Sommerhalder ; Illustrationen nach Holzschnitten aus den Songes drolatique de Pantagruel von 1565

German Literature 001 Fischart, Johann, 1546-1590. Geschichtklitterung (Gargantua). Text der Ausgabe letzter Hand von 1590 mit einem Glossar von Ute Nyssen; Nachwort von Hugo Sommerhalder ; Illustrationen nach Holzschnitten aus den Songes drolatique de Pantagruel von 1565. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1967, 442p, illus. Very good. There are a couple of faint spots on front cover panel, looks like rain drops at one time. $25.00

Fischart was born, probably, at Strasbourg (but according to some accounts at Mainz), in or about the year 1545, and was educated at Worms in the house of Kaspar Scheid, whom in the preface to his Eulenspiegel he mentions as his cousin and preceptor. He appears to have travelled in Italy, the Netherlands, France and England, and on his return to have taken the degree of doctor juris at Basel.

Most of his works were written from 1575 to 1581. During this period, he lived with, and was probably associated in the business of, his sister's husband, Bernhard Jobin, a printer at Strasbourg who published many of his books. In 1581 Fischart was attached as advocate to the Reichskammergericht (imperial court of appeal) at Speyer. In 1583, he married and was appointed Amtmann (magistrate) at Forbach near Saarbrücken. He died there in the winter of 1590–1591.