András Hess
András Hess arrived in Buda during the late spring of 1471, carrying a half-hundredweight set of type from Rome. He left behind his life at Lauer's printing house to accept an invitation from Archbishop János Vitéz and Provost László Karai. These two men had secured funding of 2,000 silver florins to establish Hungary's first press. Before this journey, Hess remained active in Rome as evidenced by records showing Lauer still used his type matrices in February 1472. The printer likely changed his surname from Huss upon arriving at King Matthias Corvinus court. This migration marked the beginning of Hungarian printing history when he completed the Chronica Hungarum on the 5th of June 1473.
On the 5th of June 1473, the eve of Pentecost, the Chronica Hungarum finished its run of sixty-seven pages. Printed in Latin using rounded Antiqua type, the book rested on thick white paper sourced from South Germany. The text merged earlier historical accounts into two distinct parts covering events up to King Louis I death and ending with Matthias Moldavian campaign in 1468. An unknown author wrote the final section while the rest drew from existing chronicle compilations. Political circumstances forced Hess to dedicate the work to Provost László Karai instead of Archbishop János Vitéz. Copies now survive in collections across Paris, Prague, Saint Petersburg, Rome, Leipzig, Kraków, Vienna, and New Jersey. One handwritten version belonged to German polymath Hartmann Schedel.
Hess operated a single press carrying out all typesetting tasks himself without assistants. His type set contained twenty-one capital letters, twenty-five lowercase letters, four ligatures, twenty-six abbreviation marks, and four punctuation marks. He likely brought this equipment as cast type rather than matrices when traveling to Buda in spring 1471. The printer managed to produce roughly seven or eight pages per month during his operation. Some researchers believe natural disaster destroyed the press after 1473 ended its activity. No further traces of the machinery exist today despite theories suggesting multiple presses once stood there. The physical construction relied on worn types that could be replaced using matrices if available locally.
The undated Magni Basilii de legendis poetis followed the Chronica Hungarum as the final output from Hess's press. This edition combined two works translated by Italian humanist Leonardo Bruni: De legendis poetis by Basil the Great and Apologia Socratis by Xenophon. Only two printed copies survive today located in Vienna and Eichstätt. The paper used for this second work came from the same mill as the first book though watermarks differed. Space constraints forced the compositor to compress words and use frequent abbreviations on the fortieth page. A colophon bearing only Hess initials appears mid-book rather than at the end due to layout limitations. These surviving volumes represent the only known remnants of Hungarian printing before the press ceased operations.
Hess established Hungary's first printing press in 1472 preceding most European countries in adopting the technology. His operation lasted less than two years before disappearing without trace after completing the Buda Chronicle. Some scholars attribute the sudden end to his death while others suggest natural disaster destroyed the equipment. Today a square in Budapest bears his name honoring his contribution to national culture. The Chronica Hungarum remains a typographical rarity preserved in libraries including the National Széchényi Library and Eötvös Loránd University. Eight additional foreign collections hold copies alongside handwritten versions that survived centuries of neglect. This single printer launched an entire industry despite leaving no successors or further publications behind him.
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Common questions
When did András Hess arrive in Buda to establish Hungary's first printing press?
András Hess arrived in Buda during the late spring of 1471. He brought a half-hundredweight set of type from Rome to begin operations.
What book did András Hess complete on the 5th of June 1473?
András Hess completed the Chronica Hungarum on the 5th of June 1473. This work consisted of sixty-seven pages printed in Latin using rounded Antiqua type.
How many copies of the Magni Basilii de legendis poetis survive today?
Only two printed copies of the Magni Basilii de legendis poetis exist today. These surviving volumes are located in Vienna and Eichstätt.
Why did András Hess stop operating his printing press after 1473?
Some researchers believe natural disaster destroyed the press after 1473 ended its activity. Other scholars attribute the sudden end to his death while others suggest equipment failure.
Which cities hold surviving copies of the Chronica Hungarum by András Hess?
Copies now survive in collections across Paris, Prague, Saint Petersburg, Rome, Leipzig, Kraków, Vienna, and New Jersey. One handwritten version belonged to German polymath Hartmann Schedel.