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The Gutenberg Revolution
Paperback / softback
Main Details
Title |
The Gutenberg Revolution
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Authors and Contributors |
By (author) John Man
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Physical Properties |
Format:Paperback / softback | Pages:304 | Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 127 |
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Category/Genre | World history - c 1500 to c 1750 History of engineering and technology |
ISBN/Barcode |
9780553819663
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Classifications | Dewey:686.2092 |
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Audience | General | Tertiary Education (US: College) | Professional & Vocational | |
Illustrations |
8 pages colour
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Publishing Details |
Publisher |
Transworld Publishers Ltd
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Imprint |
Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
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Publication Date |
30 July 2009 |
Publication Country |
United Kingdom
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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.
Author Biography
John Man is the author of Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Kublai Khan, The Terracotta Army, The Great Wall and Alpha Beta.
ReviewsThe 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 *
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