Featured at the beginning of the Fabrica is a letter written by Vesalius to his printer, Johannes Oporinus of Basel. The letter, written at the time Vesalius’ wood blocks were shipped to Basel for printing, gives us insight into many of Vesalius’ concerns during the making of the Fabrica.

In the letter, Vesalius expresses his confidence that Oporinus will produce the work desired. At the same time, he expresses his concern for the result, gives explicit instructions on which plates to use and where, and outlines his fear of piracy. He promises Oporinus a license for the work, but in the very next sentence supposes such a protection to be of little worth in preventing publishers from printing illegal copies. Mournfully, he recalls the many plagiarisms of his previous publication.

The letter is revealing in many ways. It might even help us understand why Vesalius chose to specifically publish with Oporinus. Some scholars suggest that it was Vesalius’ obsessive concern for piracy and Basel’s prime location within Italian, French and German markets that led him to Oporinus (Clark 301). Books produced in Basel could quickly reach critical areas of the northern European market, thereby ensuring a reasonable period of sale before pirate copies could hit the market (Clark 301).

Here is the letter, written in Latin, as depicted in the 1543 edition at UBC. An English translation is available on page 46 of The Illustrations from the Works of Andreas Vesalius of Brussels.

Letter to Johannes Oporinus, page 1. De Humani Corporis Fabrica, 1543 (UBC Rare Books and Special Collections)

Letter to Johannes Oporinus, page 2. De Humani Corporis Fabrica, 1543 (UBC Rare Books and Special Collections)