Johann(es) Petreius (''Hans Peterlein'', ''Petrejus'', ''Petri''; c. 1497, Langendorf near

Bad Kissingen Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which be ...

– 18 March 1550,

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer ( fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * Jame ...

in Nuremberg.

Life

He studied at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

, receiving the Master of Arts in 1517. Two years later, he worked as a proofreader for his relative

Adam Petri Adam Petri (1454 in Langendorf (now part of Elfershausen) in Franconia – 15 November 1527 in Basel) was a printer, publisher and bookseller. Early life Petri was born ca. 1454 in Langendorf near Hammelburg. Like his uncle Johannes Pet ...

. He became a citizen of Nuremberg in 1523, where he began working as a printer by at least 1524, though his name is only officially entered into the records in 1526. After his death the company was run by Gabriel Hayn.

Work

About 800 publications by him are known, including works in theology, science, law and the classics. He also printed music, using

Pierre Attaingnant Pierre Attaingnant (or Attaignant) (c. 1494 – late 1551 or 1552) was a French Music publisher (sheet music), music publisher, active in Paris. Life Attaingnant is considered to be first large-scale publisher of single-impression movable type for ...

's single-impression technique. Though the amount of music was small, it was distinguished by its high quality. De revolutionibus 1543

His most famous work is the original edition of

Nicolaus Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic Church, Catholic cano ...

's ''

De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium ''De revolutionibus orbium coelestium'' (English translation: ''On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres'') is the seminal work on the heliocentric theory of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) of the Polish Renaissance. The book, ...

'' in 1543, after an initiative of

Georg Joachim Rheticus Georg Joachim de Porris, also known as Rheticus ( /ˈrɛtɪkəs/; 16 February 1514 – 5 December 1576), was a mathematician, astronomer, cartographer, navigational-instrument maker, medical practitioner, and teacher. He is perhaps best known for ...

and

Tiedemann Giese Tiedemann Giese (1 June 1480 – 23 October 1550), was Bishop of Kulm (Chełmno) first canon, later Prince-Bishop of Warmia (Ermland). His interest in mathematics, astronomy, and theology led him to mentor a number of important young scholars, inc ...

. The inclusion of a foreword anonymously written by the Lutheran philosopher

Andreas Osiander Andreas Osiander (; 19 December 1498 – 17 October 1552) was a German Lutheran theologian and Protestant reformer. Career Born at Gunzenhausen, Ansbach, in the region of Franconia, Osiander studied at the University of Ingolstadt before b ...

, stating that the whole work is only a simple hypothesis and intended to facilitate computation, which contradicts the content of Copernicus' work, is a rather controversial feature of the edition by Petreius. Petreius had sent a copy to Hieronymus Schreiber, an astronomer from Nuremberg who died in 1547 in Paris, but left a note in the book about the authorship of Osiander. Via Michael Mästlin, the book came to

Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler (; ; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws ...

, who uncovered Osiander's deed.Arthur Koestler: ''The Sleepwalkers'
p. 169
/ref>

Bibliography

* Georg Rithaymer: De orbis terrarum situa compendium. Johann Petreius, Nürnberg, 153

*

Michael Stifel Michael Stifel or Styfel (1487 – April 19, 1567) was a German monk, Protestant reformer and mathematician. He was an Augustinian who became an early supporter of Martin Luther. He was later appointed professor of mathematics at Jena Universit ...

, Arithmetica Integra. Johann Petreius, Nürnberg, 1544 *

, Libri VI, Nuremberg, Johann Petreius, 154

*

Girolamo Cardano Gerolamo Cardano (; also Girolamo or Geronimo; french: link=no, Jérôme Cardan; la, Hieronymus Cardanus; 24 September 1501– 21 September 1576) was an Italian polymath, whose interests and proficiencies ranged through those of mathematician, ...

, Artis Magnae sive de Regulis Algebraicis Liber I, Nuremberg, Johann Petreius, 1545 *

, De subtilitate rerum. Libri XXI. Nuremberg, Johann Petreius, 1550

Notes

External links

*
Petreius' ornaments A-F
* https://web.archive.org/web/20060526023248/http://www.nzz.ch/2005/08/06/li/articleCZUON.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20081023135412/http://www.ta-dip.de/56,0,petrejus-johannes-,index,0.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20050212034755/http://langendorf.net/buch.htm From th

at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Bible. N.T. Epistles.
Italian. 1495. Epistole tEuangelii tLectioni vulgari in lingua toschana. Florence, Lorenzo Morgiani and Johannes Petri, for Piero Pacini, 27 July 1495.
Storia di Ottinello e Giulia.Storia di Ottinello e Giulia.
lorence, Lorenzo Morgiani and Johannes Petri, ca. 1500 {{DEFAULTSORT:Petreius, Johannes 1497 births 1550 deaths German printers Businesspeople from Nuremberg