Teuerdank. 2nd edition. Augsburg: Johann Schönsperger, 1519.
Johann Schönsperger was the first printer to receive official recognition as imperial court printer by appointment to the Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) - the earliest monarch to realise the potential value of the printing press for political propaganda. Only a couple of volumes, however, were completed before Maximilian’s death, both printed by Schönsperger.
One of these was Teuerdank, a fantastic roman à clef describing Maximilian’s wooing of Mary of Burgundy in the style of a medieval romance, first published in 1517. The Reed Collection includes a second edition of 1519, printed from a special fount of type that resembled calligraphy, and featuring woodcuts by Hans Schaufelein, Leonhard Beck, and Hans Burgkmair. The text of Teuerdank is attributed to Maximilian I and his secretaries Melchior Pfintzing and Marx Treitz-Saurwein.