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The Book: The story of printing and bookmaking
From The methods used for the printing and binding of books continued fundamentally unchanged from the 15th century into the early years of the 20th century. While there was of course more mechanization, Gutenberg would have had no difficulty in understanding what was going on if he had visited a book printer in 1900. ~ Gutenberg's invention was the use of movable metal types, assembled into words, lines, and pages and then printed by letterpress. In letterpress printing ink is spread onto the tops of raised metal type, and is transferred onto a sheet of paper which is pressed against the type. Sheet-fed letterpress printing is still available but tends to be used for collector's books and is now more of an art form than a commercial technique (see Letterpress). ~ Modern paper books are printed on papers which are designed specifically for the publication of printed books. Traditionally, book papers are off white or low white papers (easier to read), are opaque to minimise the show through of text from one side of the page to the other and are (usually) made to tighter caliper or thickness specifications, particularly for case bound books. Typically, books papers are light weight papers 60 to 90 g/m² and often specified by their caliper/substance ratios (volume basis). For example, a bulky 80 g/m² paper may have a caliper of 120 micrometres (0.12 mm) which would be Volume 15 (120×10/80) whereas a low bulk 80 g/m² may have a caliper of 88 micrometres, giving a volume 11. This volume basis then allows the calculation of a books PPI (printed pages per inch) which is an important factor for the design of book jackets and the binding of the finished book. Different paper qualities are used as book paper depending on type of Machine finished coated papers, woodfree uncoated papers, coated fine papers and special fine papers are common paper grades. ~ Today, the majority of books are printed by offset lithography...
676 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1943
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 24, 2014
Douglas McMurtrie’s book is an ideal introduction to the history of the book, particularly as a physical object.
The Book covers the history of writing, printing, and bookmaking from pre-historic times to the present (at the time of writing, 1943). But it advances episodically. Each chapter is topical, so that each could be read individually according to one’s taste, and I suggest the Bibliophilic reader should do so. McMurtrie is strongest when giving stories and details around printed books. He is weaker when speculating on the origins of human writing (first two chapters) or the ideals of modern printing (last chapter), but those chapters may also be most subject to going obsolete.
The Book is magnificently concrete. He has a whole chapter on Woodcut Book Illustration, and another on Engraved Book Illustration. In them, he cites famous names and famous books and gives pictorial examples of there work which helps to bring them to life. McMurtrie has a particular interest in typography, though, which is a strength of the book. In a chapter entitled “The Master Printers of Venice” he introduces us to Jenson and Aldus, two foundational figures in typography who helped bring us to a Roman type from the Gothic type used by Gutenberg. His chapter on John Baskerville is another example. Baskerville was a pioneer in Japanese-style consumer goods (cups, bowls, etc), and made a fortune in such small knick-knacks. But his passion was for artistic printing and he set up a private press and spent years perfecting an improved type-face which was hugely influential. In fact, one theme that emerges from the book is that most great advances in typography seem to have come from amateur printers or private presses rather than the big commercial presses. The important role that private presses have played speaks to the position of books as semi-public goods. Even today, the strength and also the weakness of the publishing industry is that people will publish books (and sometimes buy and read them) out of a sense of desire for beauty or truth alone, not just for money, which can complicates the industry’s economics, but also ensures that the economics don’t fully drive the industry.
The Book is chock-full of stories. Though it draws from deep learning, it is not an academic thesis. Every chapter bursts with living people and the things they made. For a person interested in absorbing the background knowledge of the book-collector, the names and places that drive the large prices, this is fantastic. You will hear about John Ratcliff and Edmund Ranger, early American Binders. Or William Morris, who precipitated the arts and crafts movement in printing and unleashed hundreds of private presses. Or Cuala Press in Dublin, Ireland, founded by Elizabeth Corbet Yeats (William Butler Yeats’ sister) and run by women. Or Hogarth Press, founded by Leonard and Virginia Woolf.
I thoroughly recommend this book for book-lovers who want to understand the significant names in the history of the making of their craft. But it's ok to skip around and read the chapters you are interested in.
The Book covers the history of writing, printing, and bookmaking from pre-historic times to the present (at the time of writing, 1943). But it advances episodically. Each chapter is topical, so that each could be read individually according to one’s taste, and I suggest the Bibliophilic reader should do so. McMurtrie is strongest when giving stories and details around printed books. He is weaker when speculating on the origins of human writing (first two chapters) or the ideals of modern printing (last chapter), but those chapters may also be most subject to going obsolete.
The Book is magnificently concrete. He has a whole chapter on Woodcut Book Illustration, and another on Engraved Book Illustration. In them, he cites famous names and famous books and gives pictorial examples of there work which helps to bring them to life. McMurtrie has a particular interest in typography, though, which is a strength of the book. In a chapter entitled “The Master Printers of Venice” he introduces us to Jenson and Aldus, two foundational figures in typography who helped bring us to a Roman type from the Gothic type used by Gutenberg. His chapter on John Baskerville is another example. Baskerville was a pioneer in Japanese-style consumer goods (cups, bowls, etc), and made a fortune in such small knick-knacks. But his passion was for artistic printing and he set up a private press and spent years perfecting an improved type-face which was hugely influential. In fact, one theme that emerges from the book is that most great advances in typography seem to have come from amateur printers or private presses rather than the big commercial presses. The important role that private presses have played speaks to the position of books as semi-public goods. Even today, the strength and also the weakness of the publishing industry is that people will publish books (and sometimes buy and read them) out of a sense of desire for beauty or truth alone, not just for money, which can complicates the industry’s economics, but also ensures that the economics don’t fully drive the industry.
The Book is chock-full of stories. Though it draws from deep learning, it is not an academic thesis. Every chapter bursts with living people and the things they made. For a person interested in absorbing the background knowledge of the book-collector, the names and places that drive the large prices, this is fantastic. You will hear about John Ratcliff and Edmund Ranger, early American Binders. Or William Morris, who precipitated the arts and crafts movement in printing and unleashed hundreds of private presses. Or Cuala Press in Dublin, Ireland, founded by Elizabeth Corbet Yeats (William Butler Yeats’ sister) and run by women. Or Hogarth Press, founded by Leonard and Virginia Woolf.
I thoroughly recommend this book for book-lovers who want to understand the significant names in the history of the making of their craft. But it's ok to skip around and read the chapters you are interested in.
June 11, 2017
This is a very well written book about the history of bookmaking and typesetting from antiquity to present (1943). Douglas McMurtrie does a credible job of making the history interesting and more story-like than just reciting the facts. As a typesetter, he focuses on that part of the book production (both manuscript and printed forms) and the people that did the work rather than spending time describing the structure and covers of these books. His insights on the various production aspects, as well as the hurdles that had to be overcome by the early pioneers, is fascinating. Highly recommended for those wanting the learn about early book production.
March 17, 2024
Want a superb and deep explanation of the history of book printing? Check out this tome written by Douglas McMurtrie. It's an insightful read that will reignite your appreciation for the printed word and all the ingenuity, pursuit, and passion required to develop it. From the paper to the press to the ink to the typefaces...McMurtrie blows new wonder into the development of the book.
November 21, 2021
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January 2, 2009Europe,history,printing,books,book history
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August 5, 2018I read the chapter on printing in the Far East (China, Japan, Korea) while visiting the library at the Minnesota Book Arts Center. It included details about the copy of the Diamond Sutra printed in 868 CE, as well as other interesting developments in printing and bookmaking that long predate Gutenberg. The detailed description of baked clay (ceramic) movable type was fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews