Coming of the Book: Impact of Printing, 1450-1800 (Verso Classics) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

The first three chapters are devoted to the introduction of paper into Europe, the technical difficulties associated with the invention of the moveable-type press in Europe, and the basic construction of the book. It is important to note that both paper and moveable-type presses were not unique to Europe - they were invented in China centuries before. However, aside from paper there is no direct evidence that the moveable-type press was imported; it seems more likely that it was an independent invention. The major problem facing inventor(s) of the moveable-type press was finding suitable materials and processes for the creation of metal type founts. Febvre and Martin devote relatively few pages to such enabling forces as the development alphabetic languages (Douglas McMurtrie in, The Book: The Story of Printing and Bookmaking, provides a more complete summary). But they do spend some time discussing processes in related industries that provided adaptable techniques - the use of clay moulds to make relief inscriptions and the use of brass die-stamps by moneyers to strike coins to name two.

The next four chapters are devoted to the book as a commodity, the economic and social conditions affecting its production and sale, a short section on apprenticeships, and geography. Here the authors discuss the growth of book production into an international trade and its subsequent fracturing into more localized businesses, due in part to a series of wars and the increasing popularity of printed material in the vernacular. Febvre and Martin introduce the reader to the great printer/publishers of each age, Anton Koberger, Jean Petit, the Estiennes, etc.

It is the last, and longest, chapter that is devoted to how the book enabled some of the changes that occurred in Early Modern Europe. If there is one event that most readers will be familiar, it is the Reformation. Febvre and Martin discuss the distribution of Protestant literature and the ineffectiveness of the various laws and censoring edicts enacted in France, and other countries, with the intent to stem the spread of such material. But this chapter isn't limited to the Reformation. It also covers the effect of printing on Humanism and the knowledge of Latin and the classics and the effect on the development of modern European languages.

Throughout, Febvre and Martin provide details on the sizes of editions, and sometimes their geographic distribution, of the most popular works in each period; be warned though, the authors do not translate the French, Latin, Greek, and German titles. You can see how the increased availability of books led to social and cultural changes, which in turn led to changes in what works were produced, which lead...well you get the picture. As with many of the scholarly works I've read of late this one is also nearly devoid of illustration. It isn't a fatal flaw, but it would have been nice to include more maps and perhaps some images of incunabula. Though I haven't picked it up yet, The Smithsonian Book of Books looks like it makes up for this lack with over 300 color plates. You can also, as I did, find plenty of images and the occasional map on the web. One thing I do want to point out is that the Verso paperback edition is rather fragile. After a single reading the book is falling apart. If you are more careful than I was, you can probably keep it together.

If you are interested in learning some of the details of the invention of the moveable-type press in Europe, the economics of early printing concerns, and some of the social and cultural changes books enabled I'd recommend reading, The Coming of the Book.

The reaction of the early copyright system in place at medieval universities to new realities, of the technical innovation necessary to make good type founts, and of early print censorship were particularly interesting. I also enjoyed the discussion of the documentary evidence about Gutenburg and his unhappy relations with his financial backers.