Gutenberg and the Impact of Printing
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:28th Feb '05
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
From typefounding through typesetting to the printing process itself, this narrative offers a fresh look at the unprecedented success story of the spread of the 'black art' right across Europe in a mere 40 years. Stephan Füssel here analyses the first early printings, placing them in the context of the history of communication and the intellectual climate of a Europe-wide educated elite by about 1500. He foregrounds the tremendous rise in European culture and the history of education experienced as a direct result of this media revolution. In separate chapters Füssel depicts the fast spreading of the art of printing to Italy, France and England, at the same time highlighting the importance of the art of printing for the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformation, the University and the economy. From herbals to a guide for midwives, the present book shows popular instruction at work in the vernacular, as well as the consolidation of knowledge into encyclopedias in the early modern period, and the emergence of new forms of the prose novel and the beginnings of newspapers and periodicals. Finally Stephan Füssel traces the modern resonances of Gutenberg's invention, which persisted in virtually unchanged form for a further 350 years. It underwent decisive technological change through industrialisation and mechanisation in the nineteenth century, and again through digitalisation at the close of the twentieth century. However, as Füssel shows, the mass diffusion of information and the related communications revolution which began with Gutenberg continue unabated.
'... we long have lacked an up-to-date overview of the broader cultural impact of printing during its first century of development. Originally published in German as Gutenberg und seine Wirkung (1999), Füssel's book admirably fulfills this need with a fast-moving, far-reaching, and readable narrative... especially valuable in that it combines such a close account of Gutenberg's work with such a thorough overview of its impact, where figures such as Erasmus, Maximilian I, and Luther stand alongside the great printers as essential shapers of the print revolution... the book must be recommended highly to those who seek to understand early European typography in light of its cultural and intellectual relevance.' Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 'Gutenberg and the Impact of Printing is a general history of the first years of printing in central Europe, with specific examples and ample illustration, providing a useful orientation for the reader new to the history of the book.' Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada 'This book is an authoritative work of cultural history narrated in a crisp and sprightly fashion... contains much intriguing and helpful information... this is a valuable account of the culture of late-fifteenth and early sixteenth-century Germany. It covers a lot of ground, but does so in an efficient and concise way that will be equally appealing to a newcomer to the subject or to a more specialist reader.' Journal of the Printing Historical Society 'It was first published in a German edition in 1999, to coincide with the 600-year celebration of Gutenberg's nominal birth-year in 2000. Its translation into English is welcome and various sections of the book will appeal respectively to specialists in the field and to interested, but less informed, readers... an ideal introduction for undergraduates or anyone new to the subject, [...] Füssel is assured on both technical and aesthetic issues. The detailed descriptions of and car
ISBN: 9780754635376
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 612g
216 pages