Literature about Durer fills library shelves. Does this mean everything has already been said about the artist? Far from it, according to the scholars at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum and their international partners in the Early Durer Project. This book deals with the core phenomena of Durers early work, ranging from the artists biography and surroundings to the question of Durers role as the archetype of the modern artist. New sociological approaches allow us to interpret Durers ideal neighbourhood as a source of inspiration for the artists work, resituating Durer in the artistic context of his time, at an exciting crossroad between the imitation of traditional painting and the self-conscious renewal of his profession. Photographs of Durers early work, many of which are new and published here for the first time, complete the publication, which will establish a new basis for a modern understanding of Germanys most famous artist.