This book explores the life and legacy of Johannes Gutenberg, the German craftsman credited with inventing movable type. It offers a nuanced perspective on his role in the history of printing while shedding light on what we truly know about his work and personal story.
Excerpt:
The goal of writing Johannes Gutenberg: A Biography in Books was to provide an updated and contextualized account in English of the life, career, impact and legacy of Johannes Gutenberg, printer of Mainz. Gutenberg remains a problematic figure for historians in that he is often credited not just with originating the process of printing with moveable types for Europe, but, by extension, with a complex series of later developments that his work made possible, albeit which he never envisioned. Moreover, a widening divide exists between the historical Gutenberg, a man who left behind only a few dimly understood documents related to his actual activities, and the symbolic Gutenberg, the cultural hero immortalized in bronze in Mainz, who enjoys international familiarity as the pioneering ‘prophet’ of the vast media revolutions that continue into our days. Because the personality and thoughts of the man who died in 1468 may be lost to history, and centuries of local lore, competing claims and scholarly guesswork have confused, obscured or even inflated the essential facts underlying his work, the only way to get to know him may be through a closer look at the books and ephemera that he printed. They are the only possible reflections of his fifteenth-century concerns, ambitions, abilities and setbacks.
Who is this book for?
Most medievalists will have at least a basic familiarity with Johannes Gutenberg, but a book that fleshes out his life and accomplishments provides a valuable resource. Anyone interested in the history of printing, or medieval technology more broadly, will find this to be a must-have.
“Gutenberg emerges from White’s biography as a litigious serial tax-dodger who squandered a privileged upbringing (and probably a university education) to become a manufacturer of souvenir mirrors for pilgrims in Strasbourg. He was certainly not, as is still commonly asserted, a goldsmith or a mint official. In fact, as White puts it, he probably ‘never personally worked with anything hotter than a bowl of soup’.” ~ review by Joseph Hone in Literary Review
The Author
Eric Marshall White is a librarian focusing on special collections, rare books, and manuscripts at Princeton University. You can listen to him on this episode of The Medieval Podcast.
Johannes Gutenberg: A Biography in Books
By Eric Marshall White
Reaktion Books
ISBN: 978 1 83639 039 8
This book explores the life and legacy of Johannes Gutenberg, the German craftsman credited with inventing movable type. It offers a nuanced perspective on his role in the history of printing while shedding light on what we truly know about his work and personal story.
Excerpt:
The goal of writing Johannes Gutenberg: A Biography in Books was to provide an updated and contextualized account in English of the life, career, impact and legacy of Johannes Gutenberg, printer of Mainz. Gutenberg remains a problematic figure for historians in that he is often credited not just with originating the process of printing with moveable types for Europe, but, by extension, with a complex series of later developments that his work made possible, albeit which he never envisioned. Moreover, a widening divide exists between the historical Gutenberg, a man who left behind only a few dimly understood documents related to his actual activities, and the symbolic Gutenberg, the cultural hero immortalized in bronze in Mainz, who enjoys international familiarity as the pioneering ‘prophet’ of the vast media revolutions that continue into our days. Because the personality and thoughts of the man who died in 1468 may be lost to history, and centuries of local lore, competing claims and scholarly guesswork have confused, obscured or even inflated the essential facts underlying his work, the only way to get to know him may be through a closer look at the books and ephemera that he printed. They are the only possible reflections of his fifteenth-century concerns, ambitions, abilities and setbacks.
Who is this book for?
Most medievalists will have at least a basic familiarity with Johannes Gutenberg, but a book that fleshes out his life and accomplishments provides a valuable resource. Anyone interested in the history of printing, or medieval technology more broadly, will find this to be a must-have.
“Gutenberg emerges from White’s biography as a litigious serial tax-dodger who squandered a privileged upbringing (and probably a university education) to become a manufacturer of souvenir mirrors for pilgrims in Strasbourg. He was certainly not, as is still commonly asserted, a goldsmith or a mint official. In fact, as White puts it, he probably ‘never personally worked with anything hotter than a bowl of soup’.” ~ review by Joseph Hone in Literary Review
The Author
Eric Marshall White is a librarian focusing on special collections, rare books, and manuscripts at Princeton University. You can listen to him on this episode of The Medieval Podcast.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
Subscribe to Medievalverse
Related Posts