Melchior Lotter
German typographer and publisher, c. 1470-1549
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
People in Melchior Lotter's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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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
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/.
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