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Melchior Lotter

1470 – 1549

German typographer and publisher, c. 1470-1549

TypographerPublisher Cartographer
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About Melchior Lotter

Lived 1470 – 1549 (aged 78–79). Melchior Lotter was a German typographer, publisher and cartographer.

Lotter was the last name of a family of German printers, intimately connected with the Reformation.

The founder of the family was Melchior Lotter, the elder, born at Aue, and well-known at Leipzig as early as 1491. He published missals, breviaries, a Persius (1512), Horatii Epistolæ (1522), and Luther Tessaradecos Consolatoria pro Laborantibus (1520). His relations with the Reformation are not perfectly clear, but he seems to have been a sympathizer. An innovation by the elder Lotter was his use of Roman types for Latin, reserving the Gothic types for German.

His son was also named Melchior (died c. 1542), which has resulted in some bibliographical confusion. Melchior, the younger, is best known for printing Martin Luther's Bible, Das Neue Testament (1522), and the impressions of 1523 and 1524 of the Old Testament, which was transferred afterward to Hans Lufft. He published many other German writings of Luther. Only a little less important was his bringing a Greek font to Wittenberg, thus giving Melanchthon the means to carry on classes in Greek. When he returned to Leipzig, about 1525, Lotter carried on his father's business.

Works Antiqua et insignis Epistola Nicolai Papa I., ad Michaelem Imperatorem. . . https://books.google.com/books?id=GeBKAAAAcAAJ&pg=false

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Important facts

Born
1470, Aue
Birth century
Occupation
Typographer, publisher, cartographer
Nationality
Also known as
Melchiar Lotter, Melchior Lotther, Melchior Lottherus, Melchior Lotter the Elder

People in Melchior Lotter's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Melchior Lotter's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Melchior Lotter?

German typographer and publisher, c. 1470-1549

When was Melchior Lotter born?

Melchior Lotter was born in 1470 in Aue.

When did Melchior Lotter die?

Melchior Lotter died on 1 February 1549 in Leipzig.

What was Melchior Lotter's occupation?

Melchior Lotter was a typographer, publisher and cartographer.

What nationality was Melchior Lotter?

Melchior Lotter was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Melchior Lotter

· Wikidata: Q71314

· DBpedia: Melchior Lotter

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Melchior Lotter. https://biography.guide/melchior-lotter/

MLA: "Melchior Lotter." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/melchior-lotter/.

Chicago: "Melchior Lotter." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/melchior-lotter/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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