Gutenberg's Europe

The Book and the Invention of Western Modernity

Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Gutenberg's Europe by Frédéric Barbier, Wiley
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Frédéric Barbier ISBN: 9781509509935
Publisher: Wiley Publication: December 5, 2016
Imprint: Polity Language: English
Author: Frédéric Barbier
ISBN: 9781509509935
Publisher: Wiley
Publication: December 5, 2016
Imprint: Polity
Language: English

Major transformations in society are always accompanied by parallel transformations in systems of social communication – what we call the media. In this book, historian Frédéric Barbier provides an important new economic, political and social analysis of the first great 'media revolution' in the West: Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in the mid fifteenth century. In great detail and with a wealth of historical evidence, Barbier charts the developments in manuscript culture in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and shows how the steadily increasing need for written documents initiated the processes of change which culminated with Gutenberg. The fifteenth century is presented as the 'age of start-ups' when investment and research into technologies that were new at the time, including the printing press, flourished.

Tracing the developments through the sixteenth century, Barbier analyses the principal features of this first media revolution: the growth of technology, the organization of the modern literary sector, the development of surveillance and censorship and the invention of the process of 'mediatization'. He offers a rich variety of examples from cities all over Europe, as well as looking at the evolution of print media in China and Korea.

This insightful re-interpretation of the Gutenberg revolution also looks beyond the specific historical context to draw connections between the advent of print in the Rhine Valley ('paper valley') and our own modern digital revolution. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of early modern history, of literature and the media, and will appeal to anyone interested in what remains one of the greatest cultural revolutions of all time.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Major transformations in society are always accompanied by parallel transformations in systems of social communication – what we call the media. In this book, historian Frédéric Barbier provides an important new economic, political and social analysis of the first great 'media revolution' in the West: Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in the mid fifteenth century. In great detail and with a wealth of historical evidence, Barbier charts the developments in manuscript culture in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and shows how the steadily increasing need for written documents initiated the processes of change which culminated with Gutenberg. The fifteenth century is presented as the 'age of start-ups' when investment and research into technologies that were new at the time, including the printing press, flourished.

Tracing the developments through the sixteenth century, Barbier analyses the principal features of this first media revolution: the growth of technology, the organization of the modern literary sector, the development of surveillance and censorship and the invention of the process of 'mediatization'. He offers a rich variety of examples from cities all over Europe, as well as looking at the evolution of print media in China and Korea.

This insightful re-interpretation of the Gutenberg revolution also looks beyond the specific historical context to draw connections between the advent of print in the Rhine Valley ('paper valley') and our own modern digital revolution. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of early modern history, of literature and the media, and will appeal to anyone interested in what remains one of the greatest cultural revolutions of all time.

More books from Wiley

Cover of the book Metallomics by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Tactile Sensing and Displays by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Chirality at Solid Surfaces by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Forsaken: A Collection of Short Stories by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Physics and Technology of Crystalline Oxide Semiconductor CAAC-IGZO by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Social Media for Trainers by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Imaging Marine Life by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Technology and Emergency Management by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Discrete Stochastic Processes and Optimal Filtering by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Finance by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Web Development with the Mac by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Blood Will Out by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Architecture Workbook by Frédéric Barbier
Cover of the book Anatomy at a Glance by Frédéric Barbier
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy