From typefounding through typesetting to the printing process itself, this narrative offers a fresh look at the unprecedented success story of the spread of the 'black art' right across Europe in a mere 40 years. Stephan FA1/4ssel here analyses the first early printings, placing them in the context of the history of communication and the intellectual climate of a Europe-wide educated elite by about 1500. He foregrounds the tremendous rise in European culture and the history of education experienced as a direct result of this media revolution. In separate chapters FA1/4ssel depicts the fast spreading of the art of printing to Italy, France and England, at the same time highlighting the importance of the art of printing for the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformation, the University and the economy. From herbals to a guide for midwives, the present book shows popular instruction at work in the vernacular, as well as the consolidation of knowledge into encyclopedias in the early modern period, and the emergence of new forms of the prose novel and the beginnings of newspapers and periodicals. Finally Stephan FA1/4ssel traces the modern resonances of Gutenberg's invention, which persisted in virtually unchanged form for a further 350 years. It underwent decisive technological change through industrialisation and mechanisation in the nineteenth century, and again through digitalisation at the close of the twentieth century. However, as FA1/4ssel shows, the mass diffusion of information and the related communications revolution which began with Gutenberg continue unabated.

Named "Man of the Millennium" in 1999, Johannes Gutenberg was the creator of one of the most influential and revolutionary inventions in Europe's history: a printing press with mechanical movable type. This development sparked the printing revolution, which is regarded as the milestone of the second millennium and represents one of the central contributions in the turn to modernity. His printing press came to play a key role in the development of the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Age of Enlightenment, providing the material foundation for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses. His invention revolutionized the way that information is shared and broadened the boundaries of who has access to written knowledge. Paving the way for bibliophiles of today, the Gutenberg Bible of 1454 remains one of the most famous books in history. Gutenberg's technical innovations remained unrivalled for almost 350 years, until industrialization of the printing industry and the digital revolution built on the advances that he began, increasing the rate at which information is spread. Despite his significance in forming the world as we know it, there has not yet been a rigorous and accessible biography of Gutenberg published in English. Written by the leading expert on Gutenberg, F ssel's biography brings together high academic standards and thorough historical details in a highly readable text that conveys everything you need to know about the man who changed printing forever.

Publishing and book trading between hyperinflation and global economic crisis, between the foundation of the republic and the decrease of democracy. The newly published second part of the History of the German Book Trade in the Weimar Republic presents, among other subjects, publishers of fiction as well as ideological publishers, political and confessional publishers, the intermediate book trade and all forms of the spreading book trade, libraries and writer's organizations, book buyers and readers as well as the export book trade.

Publishers and the book trade between hyperinflation and world economic crisis, between the founding of the Republic and creeping loss of democracy -- volume 2 of "Geschichte des deutschen Buchhandels im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert" (The History of the German Book Trade in the 19th and 20th Century) portrays a vivid picture of the book trade in eventful times. The first part-volume provides insight into the drastic political and economic conditions, into the author's predicament and the altered structure of the readership. Further topics stem from developments in the book trade, above all against the backdrop of the fiercely debated "book crisis," triggered by media competition with radio, film, illustrated magazines and newspapers. Aspects of production technology and book design as well as themes central to publishing such as academic publishers, are also dealt with. Supported by illustrations, tables and statistics, this presentation reconstructs a dynamic chapter in the history of the German book trade.

A history of the Leipzig publisher and printer G. J. GAschen (1752-1822), giving insights into the structure of publishing in the age of Goethe; as publisher of Goethe, Schiller, Klopstock and Wieland, GAschena (TM)s name is closely linked with the German literature of the late Enlightenment and the Classical period. Vol. 3, a reference catalogue of letters, has already been published.