Questions about András Hess
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was András Hess and what is he known for?
András Hess was a printer of German origin who established the first printing press in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1472. He printed the Chronica Hungarorum, completed on the 5th of June 1473, which is regarded as the first book ever printed in Hungary.
What is the Chronica Hungarorum and when was it printed?
The Chronica Hungarorum, also known as the Buda Chronicle, was printed by András Hess and completed on the 5th of June 1473, on the eve of Pentecost. It was written in Latin, printed on 67 pages using rounded Antiqua type, and presents Hungarian history from the earliest times to the reign of King Matthias Corvinus.
Who commissioned András Hess to come to Buda?
János Vitéz, Archbishop of Esztergom, commissioned László Karai, provost of Buda and vice-chancellor to King Matthias Corvinus, to invite Hess from Lauer's printing house in Rome to Buda. Research by Gedeon Borsa and Zoltánné Soltész indicates this invitation was sent in the late spring of 1471 or, according to some sources, 1472.
How many copies of the Chronica Hungarorum survive today?
Copies of the Chronica Hungarorum are preserved at the National Széchényi Library and the Library of Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary. Eight additional copies are held in foreign collections, in Paris, Prague, Saint Petersburg, Rome, Leipzig, Kraków, Vienna, and New Jersey.
What was the second book printed by András Hess?
The second and last known work from Hess's press was the undated Magni Basilii de legendis poetis, containing De legendis poetis by Basil the Great and the Apologia Socratis by Xenophon, both translated from Greek into Latin by the Italian humanist Leonardo Bruni. Only two printed copies of this edition survive, one in Vienna and one in Eichstätt.
Why did András Hess's printing press stop operating after 1473?
After 1473, the press ceased operation and no further traces of it have been found. Some researchers attribute this to Hess's death, while Aladár Ballagi believed the press was ultimately destroyed by a natural disaster.