Henri I Estienne (1460-1520)

The myth of Henri I Estienne being a rebellious child of a noble family has a long history but unfortunately nobody has ever proven this intriguing theory. What we know for sure is that, around 1502, he entered a partnership at Paris with the printer Wolfgang Hopyl (d. 1522). Their purpose was clearly defined by the motto ‘in formularia arte socios’ which may be translated as ‘partners in the art of printing’. Their association can be traced through their imprint information ‘in officina cuniculorum’ (‘at the rabbits’ press’).[1]

Eusebii Caesarie[n]sis Episcopi Chronicon: quod Hieronymus presbyter diuino eius ingenio Latinum facere curauit & usq[ue] in Vale[n]te[m] Cæsarem Romano adiecit eloquio. Ad que[m] & Prosper & Matthæus Palmerius & Matthias Palmerius, co[m]plura addidere. Quibus demum nonnulla ad hæc usq[ue] tempora subsecuta : adiecta sunt (Paris, 1518), title page.

Estienne had been able to set up his own printing house in 1502 thanks to his marriage to Guyone Viart, the widow of the printer Jean Higman (d. 1500). It is likely that Estienne had worked for Higman and would therefore have been well known to Hopyl who had previously been in partnership with Higman. Together Henri I and Hopyl produced a number of commentaries on Aristotle, including Jacques Lefèvre d’Etaples’ Epitome compendiosaque introductio in libros arithmeticos divi Severini Boetii (Paris, 1503).[2] They worked in partnership throughout 1502-3 but by the end of the latter year they began printing separately. Henri I continued producing commentaries on Aristotelian texts as these formed the backbone of the curriculum at the University of Paris, an important market for the press. He was always eager to draw attention to his press’ links with the University of Paris and at times used the arms of the university as a printers’ device, as he does at the top of the above title page.

At a time when books of hours, gospel books, missals and stories about chivalry were the staple diet of most printing houses, Henri I chose to take another path and specialize in printing scientific works such as Johannes de Sacrobosco’s De Sphaera (Paris, 1507) and Aulus Cornelius Celsus’ De Medicina libri VIII (Paris, 1512).[3] His focus on scientific content was not the only noteworthy aspect of his work: his use of roman types, much more readable than blackletter, also played a part in his success. The reputation of his press was built on the care Henri I put into the correction of his texts: whenever mistakes were made, he assiduously pointed them out in errata and in his prefaces. This editorial care would become a hallmark of the Estienne press in subsequent generations.

Many of the 120 printed books published by Henri I were first editions. This is not surprising given that he was active at the start of this emerging means of production. He was 10 years old when the first book was printed in 1470 at Paris by Guillaume Fichet (1433-c.1480) and Jean Heynlin (c. 1425-96), at the Collège de la Sorbonne, and his professional life would reflect the first steps of printers all over Europe, exploring, at the same time as he did, this new vocation.

His remarkable work in the early history of printing and his specialization in scientific subjects led him to form close ties with scholars all over Europe. Perhaps the most influential of these for the Estienne press was Jacques Lefèvre d’Etaples (c. 1460-1536). This leading humanist was the author of the very first book printed by Henri I and, as Schreiber notes, Henri I continued to print his works throughout his career.[4] Links such as these had a long term impact on the Estienne printing dynasty.[5] Henri I’s scholarly friendship circle may explain the high level of education among Henri’s children – and the editorial choices his sons François I, Robert I and Charles subsequently made in their printing houses.

Sources

Armstrong, Elizabeth, Robert Estienne, Royal Printer (Cambridge, 1954).

Bernard, Auguste, Les Estienne et les types grecs de François Ier, complément des annales stéphaniens (Paris, 1856).

Beza, Theodore, Les vrais portraits des hommes illustres (Geneva, 1581), pp 158-159.

Didot, Ambroise Firmin, ‘Les Estienne. Henri I, François I et II, Robert I, II et III, Henri II, Paul et Antoine…’, Nouvelle bibliographie générale, (Paris, 1856; Copenhagen, 1965 reprint), vol. 15-16, pp 479-482.

Renouard, Antoine, Annales de l’imprimerie des Estienne (Geneva, 1971 reprint).

Rott, Jean & Peter, Rodolphe, ‘Exposition Jean Calvin’, Revue d’histoire et de philosophie religieuse 45, (1965), 128-155.

Schreiber, Fred, The Estiennes. An annotated catalogue of 300 highlights of their various presses (New York, 1982).

Schreiber, Fred, Simon de Colines (Utah, 1995).

[1] When Henri I died in 1520 his widow later married the printer Simon de Colines (d. 1546), who is famous for his printers’ device featuring rabbits.

[2] This work is not in the Worth Library.

[3] Neither of these books are in the Worth Library.

[4] Schreiber, Fred, The Estiennes. An annotated catalogue of 300 highlights of their various presses (New York, 1982), p. 10.

[5] Didot’s lists some of these in his short biography of Henri I in Nouvelle bibliographie générale (Paris, 1856; Copenhagen, 1965 reprint), vol. 15-16, pp 479-482.