Gift
of
Brian
and Darlene Heidtke
Ship
of Fools
One
of the few sixteenth-century
books that could claim
the status of a bestseller,
Sebastian Brant's
Das Narrenschiff
(Ship of Fools) survived
through multiple editions
following close on
the heels of its original
publication in 1494.
The book's satirical
take on classical
authors and established
scholars was targeted
at the new sophisticated
reading public. Among
its other attributes,
the work includes
one of the earliest
references to Columbus'
voyage to the New
World. The significance
of Brant's text, however,
has long been surpassed
by the importance
of its illustrations.
Many of the 115 woodcuts
were executed by a
young Albrecht Dürer.
This edition is the
fourth of five, and
with only three other
copies known to exist,
easily the rarest
of the Brant editions.
With this acquisition,
the Library of Congress
would stand as the
only repository in
the world to hold
a complete run of
this important work.
