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Show TH LITERATUR O PAPERMAKIN 1390-1800 STROMER, ULMAN, 1328-1407 Piichlvon meim geslecht und von abentewr. (Manuscript in the ban of the author.) Niirnberg, 1390.15x 21 cm The first writer to touch on the art of papermaking was Ulman Strome who compiled a diary which dealt with his tribulations in founding paper mill. Stromer was a member of the senate that governed Niirnber and his mill was located just outside the western wall of the city at th point where the Pegnitz River emerged into the fields. Before the paper‘making venture Stromer had been a merchantand on his trading journey to Northern Italy he had seen paper mills in operation and was convince that he would be successful with an establishment of the same kind i Germany, especiall if able tosecure amonopoly in it. Noone in Nirnber knew anything about making paper so it was necessary for the erstwhil trader to procure his employees elsewhere. He set out to find severa foreigners who were skilled in the art of papermaking and after considerable deliberation Strome was successful in inducing a number of traine workers to leave their positions in Lombardy Ulman Stromer at this time was sixty-two years of age and his experience in trading had made him keen and ofa cautious disposition. There fore, he had all of his employees swear to be loyal to him and to keep th secrets of their craft to themselves so that no other paper mills might b springing up in Germany Accordingly Stromer wrote in his diary that Closen Obsser, the man h had engaged as foreman, "promised to be faithful unto me and declared o his oath that he would be true to me and my heirs, that he would be m overseer at the mill, keep me from harm and that as long as he lived h ‘would make paper for no one else save me and for my heirs and would no ©) 2005 Marriott Library University of Utah. All rights reserved |