John Siberch

John Siberch (c. 1476–1554) was the first Cambridge printer and an associate of Erasmus.[1]

Life

Aside from the coat-of-arms and lettering, the design of covers and title pages of early 20th-century Cambridge Press publications, like this cover of The Migration of Birds (1912) by Thomas Coward, is that used by Siberch in 1521

Early Life

Johann Lair was born in c.1476 to Peter (a master wool weaver and town councillor) and Lena von Lair. The family moved from Sieglar (Lair), to nearby Siegburg, during his childhood and he adopted the name of this town (Syberch). He was educated at the University of Cologne.[1], arriving 5th December 1492.

He became involved in the bookselling industry in the 1510s, initially in the service of Hans Beck in Cologne. He also married a sister of Gertrud Birckmann, the daughter of bookseller Gerhard Amersfoort and wife of another bookseller Franz Birckmann. He thus gained familial links with some of the key figures in printing and bookselling with connections to the humanist movement, including Erasmus, and who were the main importers of books to England. Siberch had two daughters from this marriage, Katharina and Baetzgen.[1]

His time in England

Siberch later moved to Cambridge, where he set up a printing press in 1520–1, possibly through Richard Croke.[1]

Works

Books published by Siberch included:[2]

• The Oratio addressed to Cardinal Wolsey at Cambridge by Henry Bullock. 1521.
• Augustine of Hippo's Sermo de miseria ac brevitate hujus mortalis vitæ, 1521.
• Lucian's Opusculum περὶ διψὰδων, 1521, edited by Bullock, with his oration to Wolsey.
• Baldwin of Forde's Sermo de altaris sacramento, 1521.
• Erasmus's De conscribendis epistolis, 1521.
• Galen's De temperamentis, translated by Thomas Linacre, 1521.
• John Fisher's Contio, delivered on the day of the public burning of the writings of Martin Luther, translated into Latin by Richard Pace, 1521 [1522].
• Papyrius Geminus's Hermathena, 1522.

Two leaves only, of an edition of William Lily's De octo orationis partium constructione, were discovered in the library of Westminster Abbey.[2]

References

1. McKitterick, David. "Siberch, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25499. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
2. Lee, Sidney, ed. (1897). "Siberch, John" . Dictionary of National Biography. 52. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1897). "Siberch, John". Dictionary of National Biography. 52. London: Smith, Elder & Co.