The Gutenberg Revolution
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
The Gutenberg Revolution
By (Author) John Man
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
1st October 2009
30th July 2009
United Kingdom
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Media, entertainment, information and communication industries
History of engineering and technology
Publishing and book trade
Inventions and inventors
686.2092
Physical Properties
Paperback
304
Width 128mm, Height 198mm, Spine 19mm
214g
Description
'The best book about the origin of books you could read. It is clear, engaging, fast-paced and authoritative' Stephen Fry In 1450, all Europe's books were handcopied and amounted to only a few thousand. By 1500 they were printed, and numbered in their millions. The invention of one man - Johann Gutenberg - had caused a revolution. Printing by movable type was a discovery waiting to happen. Born in 1400 in Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg struggled against a background of plague and religious upheaval to bring his remarkable invention to light. His story is full of paradox- his ambition was to reunite all Christendom, but his invention shattered it; he aimed to make a fortune, but was cruelly denied the fruits of his life's work. Yet history remembers him as a visionary; his discovery marks the beginning of the modern world.
Reviews
The Gutenberg Revolution is the best book about the origin of books you could read. It is clear, engaging, fast-paced and authoritative. * Stephen Fry *
Extremely erudite and enormously enthusiastic * Guardian *
Vivid . . . engaging, detailed and highly readable . . . a window on an extraordinary display of consummate skill and creative genius * New Scientist *
Author Bio
John Man is the author of Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Kublai Khan, The Terracotta Army, The Great Wall and Alpha Beta.
