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Electoral Saxon Printing and Censorship Acts from 1549 to 1717, Leipzig (1724)
Source: Universität Freiburg, Institut für Rechtsgeschichte, Frei 81: E 10 - 215
Citation:
Electoral Saxon Printing and Censorship Acts from 1549 to 1717, Leipzig (1724), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org
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Translation only | Transcription only | Show all | Bundled images as pdf
Order
of Johann Georg II, Elector of Saxony, to the effect that bookbinders, auctioneers,
hawkers, and vendors of dissertations are not to act to the
prejudice of the booksellers. 12 July 1678
By the Grace of God, Johann Georg the Second,
Duke of Saxony, Jülich, Cleves and Berg etc. etc.,
Elector. Worthy, learned, dear, devout and faithful
followers! In what manner the booksellers of
Leipzig have presented their complaints about
bookbinders, auctioneers, hawkers, and the
vendors of dissertations, that you may perceive
from the enclosed letters. Since it is by all means
only fair that everyone should be protected in the
exercise of his legitimate profession and that no
one should be allowed to encroach on someone
else (the result of which is nothing but trouble and
disruption of good order), We have decided that as
far as the bookbinders are concerned, the matter
shall rest with the agreement that has been
established between them and the booksellers, but
We also request you most graciously to instruct
both parties that they are to observe this. As for
the auctioneers, you are to inform those that they
may not sell any books in sheets; the hawkers and
vendors of dissertations, on the other hand, you
are to enjoin to trade in nothing else other than
mere calendars, dissertations, and other short
works, which at any rate must not exceed 10 or
11 sheets. Upon failure to comply with this, any
books discovered in their possession which are
contrary to this Our decree will be seized and
they will not be allowed to carry on their trade
any more. Such is Our will. Date: Dresden,
12 July 1678.
Carl, Baron of Friesen.
Th. Werner S.
To Our worthy and learned,
dear, devout, and
faithful followers,
the Chancellor and
Doctores of the
University of Leipzig,
as well as the
city council.
Mandate,
To the effect that all infamous and confiscated works are to be hunted up and will not be
tolerated, nor may they be printed without having passed through censorship.
5 December 1683.
By the Grace of God, Johann Georg the Third,
Duke of Saxony, Jülich, Cleves and Berg etc.,
Elector etc. Worthy, learned, dear, devout and
faithful followers! As We have been informed
that hitherto all kinds of books which have been
forbidden by Imperial decrees and the statutes of
the constituent States, as well as pamphlets,
defamatory, scandalous and blasphemous
ions, writings, which in some cases may have a
dangerous and prejudicial effect on the public,
have been imported into Our lands and sold, and
sometimes even printed here and there without
indicating the authors or the place and year of
publication, which runs completely counter to
the many decrees that have been issued and to
the oath sworn by printers; We therefore request
you hereby to arrange for investigations to be
carried out in Leipzig with the utmost diligence,
so as to ascertain whether there are any such
forbidden printed goods in the city, and to send
us a most obedient report thereof; you are also to
summon all booksellers, traders, printers and
bookbinders to your presence and enjoin them to
refrain from importing and printing such
infamous, offensive, and useless works, on pain
of incurring Our severe punishment, and also to
instruct them that no one may print anything that
hasn’t been duly censored. The censors, for their
part, are to take great care, and in cases of doubt
they must always submit a report thereon to Our
Supreme Consistory and then await Our further
instructions. Such is Our will. Date: Dresden,
5 December 1683.
Carl, Baron of Friesen.
Th. Werner
To Our worthy, learned, dear,
devout and faithful followers;
to Joh. Adam Schertzer, Doctor
of Theology, Professor, Adviser
to the Consistory; and to the city
council of Leipzig.
Mandate,
Against offensive works, lampoons, copper engravings and pamphlets, as well as
concerning the censorship of books, the reprinting of privileged ones, and
the sending in of copies in due course of time.
27 February 1686.
By the Grace of God, We, Johann Georg the
Third, Duke of Saxony, Jülich, Cleves and Berg,
Archmarshal and Elector of the Holy Roman
Empire, Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of
Meissen, as well as of the Upper and Lower
Lausitz, Burggrave of Magdeburg, Princely Count
Of Henneberg, Count of the Mark, Ravensberg,
and Barby, Lord of Ravenstein, have arranged to
hereby inform all and sundry printers and book
sellers who are based in Our lands, as well as
those who take part in the Leipzig fairs or who
otherwise sell their books in Our Electorate and
the territories incorporated into it, of how for quite
a while We have been observing how various
abuses have been spreading in the book printing
and selling trade, since contrary to the beneficial
statutes of the Holy Roman Empire as well as to
decrees issued on many occasions by Us and Our
ancestors who are resting in God, some people
are presuming to print and sell all kinds of offensive
works and pamphlets, without indicating the authors
and place of publication, are carrying out illicit,
selfish reprinting even of books that have been
privileged by Us, are failing to keep within the
bounds when it comes to charging for, and selling,
their books – instead of which they proceed as it
suits them, overcharging buyers in their greed for
excessive profit – are venturing to either keep for
No Transcription available.
Source: Universität Freiburg, Institut für Rechtsgeschichte, Frei 81: E 10 - 215
Citation:
Electoral Saxon Printing and Censorship Acts from 1549 to 1717, Leipzig (1724), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org
Back | Record | Images | Commentaries: [1]
Translation only | Transcription only | Show all | Bundled images as pdf
Order
of Johann Georg II, Elector of Saxony, to the effect that bookbinders, auctioneers,
hawkers, and vendors of dissertations are not to act to the
prejudice of the booksellers. 12 July 1678
By the Grace of God, Johann Georg the Second,
Duke of Saxony, Jülich, Cleves and Berg etc. etc.,
Elector. Worthy, learned, dear, devout and faithful
followers! In what manner the booksellers of
Leipzig have presented their complaints about
bookbinders, auctioneers, hawkers, and the
vendors of dissertations, that you may perceive
from the enclosed letters. Since it is by all means
only fair that everyone should be protected in the
exercise of his legitimate profession and that no
one should be allowed to encroach on someone
else (the result of which is nothing but trouble and
disruption of good order), We have decided that as
far as the bookbinders are concerned, the matter
shall rest with the agreement that has been
established between them and the booksellers, but
We also request you most graciously to instruct
both parties that they are to observe this. As for
the auctioneers, you are to inform those that they
may not sell any books in sheets; the hawkers and
vendors of dissertations, on the other hand, you
are to enjoin to trade in nothing else other than
mere calendars, dissertations, and other short
works, which at any rate must not exceed 10 or
11 sheets. Upon failure to comply with this, any
books discovered in their possession which are
contrary to this Our decree will be seized and
they will not be allowed to carry on their trade
any more. Such is Our will. Date: Dresden,
12 July 1678.
Carl, Baron of Friesen.
Th. Werner S.
To Our worthy and learned,
dear, devout, and
faithful followers,
the Chancellor and
Doctores of the
University of Leipzig,
as well as the
city council.
Mandate,
To the effect that all infamous and confiscated works are to be hunted up and will not be
tolerated, nor may they be printed without having passed through censorship.
5 December 1683.
By the Grace of God, Johann Georg the Third,
Duke of Saxony, Jülich, Cleves and Berg etc.,
Elector etc. Worthy, learned, dear, devout and
faithful followers! As We have been informed
that hitherto all kinds of books which have been
forbidden by Imperial decrees and the statutes of
the constituent States, as well as pamphlets,
defamatory, scandalous and blasphemous
ions, writings, which in some cases may have a
dangerous and prejudicial effect on the public,
have been imported into Our lands and sold, and
sometimes even printed here and there without
indicating the authors or the place and year of
publication, which runs completely counter to
the many decrees that have been issued and to
the oath sworn by printers; We therefore request
you hereby to arrange for investigations to be
carried out in Leipzig with the utmost diligence,
so as to ascertain whether there are any such
forbidden printed goods in the city, and to send
us a most obedient report thereof; you are also to
summon all booksellers, traders, printers and
bookbinders to your presence and enjoin them to
refrain from importing and printing such
infamous, offensive, and useless works, on pain
of incurring Our severe punishment, and also to
instruct them that no one may print anything that
hasn’t been duly censored. The censors, for their
part, are to take great care, and in cases of doubt
they must always submit a report thereon to Our
Supreme Consistory and then await Our further
instructions. Such is Our will. Date: Dresden,
5 December 1683.
Carl, Baron of Friesen.
Th. Werner
To Our worthy, learned, dear,
devout and faithful followers;
to Joh. Adam Schertzer, Doctor
of Theology, Professor, Adviser
to the Consistory; and to the city
council of Leipzig.
Mandate,
Against offensive works, lampoons, copper engravings and pamphlets, as well as
concerning the censorship of books, the reprinting of privileged ones, and
the sending in of copies in due course of time.
27 February 1686.
By the Grace of God, We, Johann Georg the
Third, Duke of Saxony, Jülich, Cleves and Berg,
Archmarshal and Elector of the Holy Roman
Empire, Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of
Meissen, as well as of the Upper and Lower
Lausitz, Burggrave of Magdeburg, Princely Count
Of Henneberg, Count of the Mark, Ravensberg,
and Barby, Lord of Ravenstein, have arranged to
hereby inform all and sundry printers and book
sellers who are based in Our lands, as well as
those who take part in the Leipzig fairs or who
otherwise sell their books in Our Electorate and
the territories incorporated into it, of how for quite
a while We have been observing how various
abuses have been spreading in the book printing
and selling trade, since contrary to the beneficial
statutes of the Holy Roman Empire as well as to
decrees issued on many occasions by Us and Our
ancestors who are resting in God, some people
are presuming to print and sell all kinds of offensive
works and pamphlets, without indicating the authors
and place of publication, are carrying out illicit,
selfish reprinting even of books that have been
privileged by Us, are failing to keep within the
bounds when it comes to charging for, and selling,
their books – instead of which they proceed as it
suits them, overcharging buyers in their greed for
excessive profit – are venturing to either keep for
No Transcription available.