Crafting Urban Chronicles

The meticulous process of crafting a chronicle often spans many years, with valuable insights into this endeavor preserved in surviving manuscripts and texts. This study examines such manuscripts, shedding light on the scribes, sources, functions, textual genesis, intended readership, and recipients of chronicles. Centering on a case study from Dortmund—specifically, the chronicle authored by the Dortmund smith Dietrich Westhoff—this article explores the production context and writing process within the framework of craftsmanship. Drawing on extant manuscripts from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and their editions, the research sequentially investigates the scribe, sources, content, readership, and ultimately, the writing process. The analysis aims to uncover the prerequisites for composing an urban chronicle. While the Dortmund case is examined in detail, the findings are situated within a broader framework to provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics involved in the creation of historical urban chronicles.