Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Narrenschiff shopping experience:

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2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Narrenschiff? Wrong! If the Narrenschiff is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Narrenschiff then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Narrenschiff? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Narrenschiff and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Narrenschiff wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Narrenschiff then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Narrenschiff site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Narrenschiff, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Narrenschiff, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

Ship of Fools is a satire published 1494 in Basel, Switzerland, by Sebastian Brant, a conservative Germany theologian.

In a series of 114 brief satires, illustrated with woodcuts, it is notable for including the first commissioned work by the great Renaissance artist-engraver Albrecht Dürer. Much of the work was critical of the current state of the church. Brant here lashes with unsparing vigour the weaknesses and vices of his time. Here he conceives Saint Grobian, whom he imagines to be the patron saint of vulgar and coarse people.

The Ship of Fools was inspired by a frequent motif in medieval art and Literature, and particularly in religious satire, due to a pun on the Latin word "navis", which means a boat and also the Nave of a Church.

The concept of foolishness was a frequently used Trope (literature) in the pre-Reformation period to legitimate criticism, as also used by Erasmus in his In Praise of Folly and Martin Luther in his Address to the Christian Nobility. Court fools were allowed to say much what they wanted; by writing his work in the voice of the fool, Brant could legitimate his criticism of the church.

The work immediately became extremely popular, with six authorised and seven pirated editions published before 1521. Brant did not support the Reformation movement, but many of the criticisms of the church expressed in his work mirrored themes which the reformers would pick up on.

The book was translated into Latin by Jacob Locher in 1497, into French by Paul Riviere in 1497 and by Jehan Droyn in 1498, into English by Alexander Barclay in 1509 and by Henry Watson also in 1509.Many wood-cuts of the first edition believed to have been carved by Durer. The additional wood-cuts are the work of the so called Haintz-Nar-Meister, the Gnad-Her-Meister and two other anonymous artists.An allegorical painting by Hieronymus Bosch (that is a fragment of a triptych) was inspired by the 1494 German classic: The Ship of Fools (painting), 1490-1500. Exhibited in Louvre, Paris.Some 20th century artists - including Art Hazelwood, Dusan Kállay, István Orosz, Brian Williams - made images based on "Das Narrenschyff", or drew illustrations for contemporary editions of The Ship of Fools. Shio Satō, a Japanese mangaka, created a manga series inspired by this book.

References W Gillis, trans, The Ship of Fools, (1971)

External links

• Digitized version from the University of Houston
• Ship of Fools online exhibit from the Glasgow University

Wikisource has original text related to this article:Wikisource:Littell's Living Age/Volume 146/Issue 1891/"The Ship of Fools"

• Ship of Fools illustrations by István Orosz

Ship of Fools is a satire published 1494 in Basel, Switzerland, by Sebastian Brant, a conservative Germany theologian.

In a series of 114 brief satires, illustrated with woodcuts, it is notable for including the first commissioned work by the great Renaissance artist-engraver Albrecht Dürer. Much of the work was critical of the current state of the church. Brant here lashes with unsparing vigour the weaknesses and vices of his time. Here he conceives Saint Grobian, whom he imagines to be the patron saint of vulgar and coarse people.

The Ship of Fools was inspired by a frequent motif in medieval art and Literature, and particularly in religious satire, due to a pun on the Latin word "navis", which means a boat and also the Nave of a Church.

The concept of foolishness was a frequently used Trope (literature) in the pre-Reformation period to legitimate criticism, as also used by Erasmus in his In Praise of Folly and Martin Luther in his Address to the Christian Nobility. Court fools were allowed to say much what they wanted; by writing his work in the voice of the fool, Brant could legitimate his criticism of the church.

The work immediately became extremely popular, with six authorised and seven pirated editions published before 1521. Brant did not support the Reformation movement, but many of the criticisms of the church expressed in his work mirrored themes which the reformers would pick up on.

The book was translated into Latin by Jacob Locher in 1497, into French by Paul Riviere in 1497 and by Jehan Droyn in 1498, into English by Alexander Barclay in 1509 and by Henry Watson also in 1509.Many wood-cuts of the first edition believed to have been carved by Durer. The additional wood-cuts are the work of the so called Haintz-Nar-Meister, the Gnad-Her-Meister and two other anonymous artists.An allegorical painting by Hieronymus Bosch (that is a fragment of a triptych) was inspired by the 1494 German classic: The Ship of Fools (painting), 1490-1500. Exhibited in Louvre, Paris.Some 20th century artists - including Art Hazelwood, Dusan Kállay, István Orosz, Brian Williams - made images based on "Das Narrenschyff", or drew illustrations for contemporary editions of The Ship of Fools. Shio Satō, a Japanese mangaka, created a manga series inspired by this book.

References W Gillis, trans, The Ship of Fools, (1971)

External links

• Digitized version from the University of Houston
• Ship of Fools online exhibit from the Glasgow University

Wikisource has original text related to this article:Wikisource:Littell's Living Age/Volume 146/Issue 1891/"The Ship of Fools"

• Ship of Fools illustrations by István Orosz