[a] Ortlieb is the scribe of the bookplate in at least 37 manuscripts originating in Zwiefalten, 29 of which include a decoration.
[2] Ortlieb's Latin chronicle, De fundatione monasterii Zwivildensis libri duo,[b] survives in only one manuscript.
It is based in part on a collection of historical notices made by Ulrich, the second abbot of Zwiefalten.
[3] Ortlieb provides the correct etymology of Zwiefalten (Zwivaltaha): from Middle High German zwivalt (twofold) and aha (creek), or in Latin duplex fluvius.
He occasionally inserts German words into his text, apologizing for the barbarisms and modestly feigning a lack of proficiency in Latin.