The Printing Press

A full-scale historical treatment of the advent of printing and its importance as an agent of change, first published in 1980.

Johannes Gutenberg, a man of the Renaissance, developed a printing press and transformed the world of books.

A history of the modern printing industry, including how paper and ink are made, looking particularly at the printing press invented by Gutenberg around 1450 but also at its precursors.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Archer The sweeping saga of the Cliftons—across generations, from Europe to America, through heartache and rivalry and triumph—is about to reach its stunning conclusion. Harry Clifton’s story began in 1920, as a dock worker in England, and now he is set to write his magnum opus. As he reflects on his days, the lives of his family continue to unfold, unravel, and intertwine in ways no one could have imagined . . . Harry’s wife Emma, who just completed her time at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, receives a surprise call from Margaret Thatcher. Meanwhile, Giles Barrington discovers a shocking truth about his wife, Karin. Sebastian Clifton becomes chairman of Farthings Kaufman bank, but only after Hakim Bishara’s abrupt resignation. Sebastian’s daughter Jessica is expelled from school, but her aunt Grace comes to the rescue. And Lady Virginia, who is set to flee the country to avoid her creditors, finds an opportunity to clear her debts after the Duchess of Hertford dies—and a way to finally trump the Cliftons and Barringtons.

Can one invention really change the world? Before the mid-fifteenth century, books were printed by hand, making them rare and expensive. Reading and learning remained a privilege of the wealthy—until Johannes Gutenberg developed a machine called the printing press. Gutenberg, a German metalworker, began in the 1440s by making movable type—small metal letters that were arranged to form words and sentences, replacing handwritten letters. Movable type fit into frames on the printing press, and the press then produced many copies of the same page. As movable type and the printing press made book production much faster and less expensive, reading material of all kinds became available to a far wider audience. In Gutenberg’s time, Europe was already on the brink of a new age—an explosion of world exploration, scientific discoveries, and political and religious changes. Gutenberg’s printing press helped propel Europe into the modern era, and his legacy remains in the thousands of books and newspapers printed each year to keep us informed, entertained, and connected. Indeed, Gutenberg’s development of the printing press became one of history’s pivotal moments.

This title examines the remarkable life of Johannes Gutenberg and his innovation of the printing press. Readers will learn about Gutenberg's background and education, as well as his creation of the Gutenberg Bible for the Catholic Church. Color photos, detailed maps, and informative sidebars accompany easy-to-read, compelling text. Features include a timeline, facts, additional resources, web sites, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. Publishing Pioneers is a series in Essential Library, an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

When Gandhi as a young lawyer in South Africa began fashioning the tenets of his political philosophy, he was absorbed by a seemingly unrelated enterprise: creating a newspaper, Indian Opinion. In Gandhi’s Printing Press Isabel Hofmeyr provides an account of how this footnote to a career shaped the man who would become the world-changing Mahatma.

Johannes Gutenberg Archimedes once said, "Give me but a firm spot on which to stand and I shall move the earth." Well, Johannes Gutenberg must have been standing on granite because his impact on the world has been earth-shattering. Before his time, books were a rarity, only affordable for the rich or influential. So, in order to make books accessible for everyone, Gutenberg invented a printing press using movable type. Inside you will read about... - Gutenberg's Early Childhood - The Printing Press - Impact of German Movable Type Printing Press - Gutenberg's Books - Later Life and Death And much more! Printing became faster and cheaper. Suddenly books were available everywhere, which led to the lower classes in society learning to read and to write. People were discovering books, but they were unearthing much more than what they were reading. There was an explosion of information, very much like the Information Age of today, which set people on quests for the truth. This would lead to the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, where fundamental human truths were challenged at every level. And it all started with a book.

Upon its invention in the mid-1400s, the printing press instantly became a revolutionary device. It introduced literacy to the masses and led Europe out of the Middle Ages. This book explores the press' exciting history, the social and political conditions in place at the time Johannes Gutenberg invented it, and the changes the invention wrought afterward. It traces the evolution of moveable type and information dissemination up to modern electronic communications technology, examining the positive and negative effects of these developments, both in the past and on democracy and humankind today. This book will give readers a new appreciation for the written word, whether it is printed on paper or displayed on a screen.