eenth century. He is said to
have employed twenty-four presses at Nuernberg, besides having books
printed for him in other towns.[59] He it was who introduced the
printing-press into Nuernberg in 1470. His enterprise, however, was not
limited to the mere printing of books. He is said to have had sixteen
shops where his books were sold, and agents in every city in Christendom!
Truly he was the father of booksellers.

Another German printer, Erhart Ratdolt, printed at Venice, before 1488, a
handsome sheet in red and black in which he enumerates some forty-six
books arranged under six headings, which he had for sale. They comprised
the productions of several presses, the list being headed 'Libri venales
Venetiis impressi.' Some thirty or more of these catalogues of German
printers,[60] produced before the end of the fifteenth century, are
known.

In 1485 Antoine Verard, one of the most important figures in the annals
of French printing, began business at Paris by putting forth an edition
of the Decameron. From this date he continued as a publisher, and has
been called 'the most important Paris publisher of the fifteenth
century.' So far as I am aware no catalogue of the books which he had for
sale has yet been discovered; though from the fact that our King Henry
VII. purchased a number of his volumes it would seem that his agents or
travellers were in possession of lists.

Beckmann, in his 'History of Inventions and Discoveries,' says: 'It
appears that the printers themselves first gave up the bookselling part
of the business, and retained only that of printing; at least this is
said to have been the case with that well-known bookseller John Rainman,
who was born at Oehringen and resided at Augsburg'; and goes on to say
that he was at first a printer and letter-founder, and supplied Aldus
with his types. But this offset of the main business of book-production
began still earlier: witness the catalogues of Koberger and Ratdolt
already quoted. Many other printers also there were, before 1490, who
were acting as agents or 'booksellers' to other firms. This was the case,
too, with many of the Parisian houses.

'Printing therefore gave rise[61] to a new and important branch of trade,
that of bookselling, which was established in Germany chiefly at
Frankfort-on-the-Main, where, at the time of the fairs particularly,
there were several large booksellers' shops in that street which still
retains the name of "book street."'[62]