The Gutenberg Revolution

John Man

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EBook

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Apple Books

'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.

Published: 1 November 2010
ISBN: 9781409045526
Imprint: Transworld Digital
Format: EBook
Pages: 304

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About the author

John Man

John Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia. After reading German and French at Oxford he did two postgraduate courses, one in the history of science at Oxford, the other in Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

John has written acclaimed and highly successful biographies of Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun and Kublai Khan as well as Alpha Beta, on the history of the alphabet, and The Gutenberg Revolution, on the invention of printing.

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Praise for The Gutenberg Revolution

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

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