Hans P. Kraus

Hans P. Kraus
Born(1907-10-12)October 12, 1907
Vienna, Austria
DiedNovember 1, 1988(1988-11-01) (aged 81)
Ridgefield, Connecticut
NationalityAustrian-born
OccupationRare book dealer
Known forSuccess as a rare book dealer

Hans Peter Kraus (October 12, 1907 – November 1, 1988), also known as H. P. Kraus or HPK, was an Austrian-born American book dealer described as "without doubt the most successful and dominant rare book dealer in the world in the second half of the 20th century"[1] and in a league with other rare book dealers such as Bernard Quaritch, Guillaume de Bure and A.S.W. Rosenbach. Kraus specialized in medieval illuminated manuscripts, incunables (books printed before 1501), and rare books of the 16th and 17th centuries, but would purchase and sell almost any book that came his way that was rare, valuable and important. He prided himself in being "the only bookseller in history...to have owned a Gutenberg Bible and the Psalters of 1457 and 1459[2] simultaneously," stressing that "'own' here is the correct word, as they were bought not for a client's account but for stock."[3]

  1. ^ William S. Reese, The End of H.P. Kraus Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ These are the two earliest psalters printed by Gutenberg's successors, Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer. See Margaret Stillwell, 'The Beginning of the World of Books', 1450 to 1470, nos. 18 & 27.
  3. ^ H.P.Kraus, A Rare Book Saga, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York (1978) (hereinafter "RBS") p. 227. ISBN 0-399-12064-5.