Lichtgedanken 02

S C HW E R P U N K T 24 and other reformers wrote the books or annotated the texts of others, adding endless notes between the printed lines and in the margins. Their handwriting – small and scarcely legible for the un- trained eye of the viewer – makes the volumes before me unique specimens and true treasures. World document: Luther’s Mass One small, outwardly nondescript volu- me, exhibited in the very first display case, is a true rarity. The book is open at the title page of the »German Mass« by Martin Luther. Printed in Wittenberg in 1526, the slim work has been part of UNESCO’s World’s Documentary Heri- tage since 2015. »This book is probably the only completely preserved copy of the second edition,« states Dr Ott, dra- wing my attention to the border on the frontispiece which originates from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder. With the »German Mass and Order of Service«, to quote the full title, Luther offered the complete liturgy of the main service in German for the first time. While other reformers had been pub- lishing orders of service in the German language since 1522, Luther continued to conduct mass in Latin until 29 Octo- ber 1525. Only then did he also celebrate the service in German. The slim pamphlet around three mil- limetres thick is part of an anthology bound in vellum containing a total of 32 works by the reformers. But how does such a work come to be in the middle of a hotchpotch of other writings? »It was normal in those days to sell texts separa- tely from bound books,« states Joachim Ott. »Readers collected what interested them and had it bound in their own in- dividual arrangement.« In the display case directly opposite lies what is probably the weightiest work of the exhibition: the twelve major, leather- bound folio volumes of the Jena Luther Edition – the entire reformer’s writings – eight in German, four in the Latin lan- guage. The collection was printed in the Carmelite monastery on today’s Engel- platz that had been converted to a prin- ting works and that has been open to the public for several weeks following extensive restoration work. Published between 1555 and 1558, the edition is the most important testament to Jena’s book-printing history. »The edition was commissioned by the Ernestinian Du- kes as competition for the Wittenberg edition, as at that time Wittenberg was no longer under Ernestinian rule,« says Ott. Luther’s close confidante Georg Rörer gave personal instructions rela- ting to the edition and its printing. His handwritten and printed specifications are also displayed. The first volume of the Jena Luther Edi- tion lies open in its own showcase. The massive book block weighs an estima- ted four to five kilos. The other volu- mes are a match for it in terms of pages and size and are lined up behind it. The title page of the book »Erster Teil aller Bücher vnd Schrifften des thewren se- ligen Mans Doct. Mart. Lutheri« [First Part of all Books and Writings of the beloved, blessed Doctor Martin Luther] is decorated by a woodcut showing the founder of the university of Jena (»Han- fried«) beside Luther, both in prayer before Christ on the Cross. The text is printed in large ornate letters in black and red. Two brass clasps are attached to the front of the volume and are used to close the book. Even if the centuries have left their mark on these magnificent examples of early modern artisanship – they definitely do not look their age of almost 500 years. »The books – as you see them here – are largely in their original condition,« Dr Ott emphasizes. And returns my asto- nished look by adding: »Paper and bin- ding from those days are very robust.« No comparison with books from the 19th or 20th century which can only be preserved today with difficulty. In addi- tion, the books are kept in a special sto- reroom in the basement of the ThULB when they are not being exhibited. At a constant 19 degrees and relative hu- midity of 50 percent, they will certainly survive the next few centuries as well, as he explains with a grin. And he adds that it is exhibitions like these that are more likely to damage these valuable treasures. How come? »When the hea- vy volumes are left open for weeks and months, and also at an angle, when they are exposed to light for longer periods – that affects the material.« This must be avoided, of course, he adds, and prevented from occurring from the outset. That is the task of the restorers at the ThULB. They continual- ly inspect the huge stocks of books and manuscripts – the ThULB has around 27,000 titles from the 16th century alo- ne – look after them, restore them and prepare them for exhibitions. A glimpse into the restoration workshop Restorer Frank Schieferdecker and his team – Annett Blumenthal, Susanne Kull and Ulrike Sachße – work one floor below the exhibition room. Their work- shop is a large bright room looking onto the Frommannscher Garten. Large work desks are lined along the window front with pots, brushes and paper, and there are further work surfaces in the middle of the room with beside them huge al- ligator shears with blades one metre in length, mobile pedestals and cupboards with endless rows of drawers. And abo- ve all: books. Books of very different sizes, colours and ages on trolleys, wai- ting to be digitized, books separated into single leaves on shelves, freshly bound copies held down in screw clamps on a large work surface. »Treasures from the time of the Refor- mation« are also being worked on this morning. In front of Susanne Kull lies a large-format book with texts and songs from the 16th century that was used in church services. The restorer inspects the fresh binding of bright leather, opens the thick book containing a good three hundred pages, and checks the ad- Photo right: The »German Mass« by Martin Luther from the year 1526 has been part of UNESCO’s World’s Documentary Heritage since 2015 and can be seen in the exhibition.