The Book: The Life Story of a Technology

by Nicole Howard

Overview

The printed book is one of life’s most frequently encountered technologies. Historian Nicole Howard provides a comprehensive survey of the evolution of this technology, tracing its development across many centuries and cultures.

No other technology in human history, declares Howard, has had the impact of this invention. By examining the book as a technology, Howard reveals how profoundly information and media have shaped history and how vital the technology of the book has been to cultural and intellectual change.

This engaging study extends from clay tablets and rolls of papyrus to bound folio sheets, from inks and scripts to lead type and printing presses, from the Linotype machine to the laptop. Cross-cultural in scope, it examines innovations in the production and manufacture of books from the Middle and Far East, Europe, and the Americas. Howard recounts printing techniques from Gutenberg’s first press to 21st-century electronic publishing.

Howard’s broad overview and accessible writing style make this book ideal for students and bibliophiles alike. The volume includes a glossary of terms, a timeline of important events, and a selected bibliography of useful resources for further information.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801893117
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	11/16/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Nicole Howard (LA GRANDE, OR) is a professor of history at Eastern Oregon University. She is the author of The Book: The Life Story of a Technology.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Timeline
1. Ancestors: Books before Print
2. Infancy: The Earliest Printed Books, 1450–1500
3. Youth: Books in the Sixteenth Century
4. Adulthood: Early-Modern Books, 1600–1800
5. Maturity: Books in the Age of Automation, 1800–1900
6. The Future of Books: Twentieth Century and Beyond
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

A very succinct history of the book that will be quite useful, in introductory book history courses as a survey text (or by any bibliophile who wants to know more.)

philobiblos.blogspot.com

The book is arguably the one technology that has made all others possible . . . What Howard does is provide an exceedingly accessible retelling of the book's life story, one that shows precisely how books represent a peak of technology, giving permanence and form to ideas and relevance and resonance to their readers.

Libraries & the Cultural Record

An excellent, clearly written, and acessible introduction to the history of the book and the printing press. Highly recommended both for book history students and interested general audiences.

Publishing Research Quarterly - Casey Brienza

An excellent, clearly written, and acessible introduction to the history of the book and the printing press. Highly recommended both for book history students and interested general audiences.

— Casey Brienza

Publishing Research Quarterly

In this broad and concise overview (back cover), Howard essentially skims very selective high points in the history of the book—from writing on papyrus (in about 2600 BCE) to the reusable e-paper and e-ink of the postmodern palimpsest that is today's e-book….This work is most suitable for general collections. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, two-year technical program students, and general readers.” —Choice

“[T]he book is arguably the one technology that has made all others possible, it is also the most taken for granted. What Howard does is provide an exceedingly accessible retelling of the book's life story, one that shows precisely how books represent a peak of technology, giving permanence and form to ideas and relevance and resonance to their readers.” —Libraries & the Cultural Record

“The Book: The Life Story of a Technology surveys the fine art of the printed book, providing a review of the history of its development over the centuries and around the world, discussing early books and their differences from later productions, and reviewing all the technical skills needed to produce a book right up to modern times.” —MBR Bookwatch

“[P]rovides an overview of the book's development across centuries, cultures, and fields, from the papyrus scroll to e-books. She discusses the importance of Gutenberg and the context of his time; the development of book materials, bindings, typefaces, and printing methods; the book's cultural and social influences; and modern technological advances from linotype and lithography to electronic publishing.” —Reference & Research Book News/Art Book News Annual

From the Publisher