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The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself
"A fascinating account of the gathering and dissemination of news from the end of the Middle Ages to the French Revolution" and the rise of the newspaper (Glenn Altschuler, The Huffington Post).
Long before the invention of printing, let alone the daily newspaper, people wanted to stay informed. In the pre-industrial era, news was mostly shared through gossip, sermons, and proclamations. The age of print brought pamphlets, ballads, and the first news-sheets. In this groundbreaking history, renowned historian Andrew Pettegree tracks the evolution of news in ten countries over the course of four centuries, examining the impact of news media on contemporary events and the lives of an ever-more-informed public.
The Invention of News sheds light on who controlled the news and who reported it; the use of news as a tool of political protest and religious reform; issues of privacy and titillation; the persistent need for news to be current and for journalists to be trustworthy; and people's changing sense of themselves and their communities as they experienced newly opened windows on the world.
"This expansive view of news and how it reached people will be fascinating to readers interested in communication and cultural history." —Library Journal (starred review)
Long before the invention of printing, let alone the daily newspaper, people wanted to stay informed. In the pre-industrial era, news was mostly shared through gossip, sermons, and proclamations. The age of print brought pamphlets, ballads, and the first news-sheets. In this groundbreaking history, renowned historian Andrew Pettegree tracks the evolution of news in ten countries over the course of four centuries, examining the impact of news media on contemporary events and the lives of an ever-more-informed public.
The Invention of News sheds light on who controlled the news and who reported it; the use of news as a tool of political protest and religious reform; issues of privacy and titillation; the persistent need for news to be current and for journalists to be trustworthy; and people's changing sense of themselves and their communities as they experienced newly opened windows on the world.
"This expansive view of news and how it reached people will be fascinating to readers interested in communication and cultural history." —Library Journal (starred review)
453 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2014
About the author
Andrew Pettegree
42 books121 followersI began my career working on aspects of the European Reformation. My first book was a study of religious refugee communities in the sixteenth century, and since then I have published on the Dutch Revolt, and on the Reformation in Germany, France and England, as well as a general survey history of the sixteenth century. In the last years the focus of my research has shifted towards an interest in the history of communication, and especially the history of the book. I run a research group that in 2011 completed a survey of all books published before1601: the Universal Short Title Catalogue. This work continues with work to incorporate new discoveries and continue the survey into the seventeenth century.
In 2010 I published an award-winning study of The Book in the Renaissance, and in 2014 The Invention of News: a study of the birth of a commercial culture of news publication in the four centuries between 1400 and 1800. I return to the Reformation for a study of Luther’s media strategy, published in 2015 by Penguin as Brand Luther, 1517, Printing and the Making of the Reformation. I am now engaged in a study of the book world of the seventeenth century Dutch Republic, to be published in 2019 as Trading Books in the Age of Rembrandt.
I am the lead editor of two monograph series: the St Andrews Studies in Reformation History, and The Library of the Written Word. In 2012-2015 I served a three year term as Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society.
I welcome enquiries from potential postgraduate students working on any aspect of the Reformation or Book History.
In 2010 I published an award-winning study of The Book in the Renaissance, and in 2014 The Invention of News: a study of the birth of a commercial culture of news publication in the four centuries between 1400 and 1800. I return to the Reformation for a study of Luther’s media strategy, published in 2015 by Penguin as Brand Luther, 1517, Printing and the Making of the Reformation. I am now engaged in a study of the book world of the seventeenth century Dutch Republic, to be published in 2019 as Trading Books in the Age of Rembrandt.
I am the lead editor of two monograph series: the St Andrews Studies in Reformation History, and The Library of the Written Word. In 2012-2015 I served a three year term as Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society.
I welcome enquiries from potential postgraduate students working on any aspect of the Reformation or Book History.
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November 12, 2014
I think some readers have been disappointed by misunderstanding the focus of this book (by the author of The Book in the Renaissance)--because Pettegree doesn't get around to stating it clearly until his conclusion. This is not a history of the newspaper, which doesn't come along until halfway through, nor of journalists in the sense of reporters, who never appear. It's a history of the idea of news in the sense of tidings of things that have happened elsewhere, in the emerging European consciousness of the late middle ages through 1800. It is only at the very end of this period, with the American and French revolutions, that we see the kind of professional and polemical newspapers like our current (and probably dying) notion. Further, Pettegree argues at the very end that the pre-newspaper period had more of an ambiguous, competitive, multimedia market for news like the landscape that is re-emerging today, and therefore the hegemony of the standard newspaper as a vehicle for learning about the world is more of a blip than anything else.
The success of the newspaper model was rather unlikely given how unappealing it was to early readers. Pettegree starts by showing how, in the medieval world, word-of-mouth news from a trusted source was more reliable than anything written down and thus access to news was limited to powerful people with a network of messengers and correspondents. Ordinary people made do with gossip, songs, and plays. In the Renaissance, merchants began to develop paid networks of manuscript news, or avvisi, but these were for specialists only, expensive and too hard for ordinary people to understand. This liminal system of distributed but exclusive news relied on a postal service whose emergence was constantly threatened during the Thirty Years War. As the printing industry grew, news appeared in the form of one-off pamphlets, whose popularity was fueled by the sectarian disputes of the period (Pettegree discusses this at much greater length in his last book). Only gradually did readers come to expect to read reports of things that were actually true, to the best of the printer's knowledge, as opposed to uncritically repeated stories of monstrous births, comets, witches, and whatnot. Early attempts at regular publication were stymied by the failure of ships to bring news when expected; "We hope, in the present scarcity of news, the following poems will not be unacceptable to our readers" (246). Early newspapers also perpetuated the experts-only, no-context style of the avvisi, which made newspaper reports frankly baffling to many of their early consumers. They often focused exclusively on distant rather than local events to avoid local controversy or censorship. Many were the product of a single publisher working with freelance distributors, and were discontinued when he exhausted himself.
What I like most about this author is his keen eye for the kind of detail that makes this period so colorful and ability to (occasionally) express historical observations in a rather zesty way. Early in the book, we have an "exasperated" medieval father writing to his son at university: "I have recently discovered that you live dissolutely and slothfully... strumming a guitar while the others are at their studies" (31). Charles I was "almost preternaturally devoid of political skill. From his search for a Catholic wife to his assault on the traditions of Parliament and the Church of England, the policies of Charles I seemed designed to coalesce a truculent but generally obedient people into defiance" (219). A 17th century English diarist who documented the news particularly relished "the evil consequences that befell those who profaned the Sabbath [like] two young men larking in the rigging of a ship at Whitechapel on a Sunday, when one fell to his death" (350).
Ultimately, what this book is about--instead of newspapers--is the formation of the Western way of viewing and evaluating the world beyond your own experience, as examined through the concept of news. Anyone who finds the theme appealing should hasten to read The Pursuit of Glory which treats similar topics (travel methods, postal service, coffee houses) in a more comprehensive way for the second half of the time period this book covers.
The success of the newspaper model was rather unlikely given how unappealing it was to early readers. Pettegree starts by showing how, in the medieval world, word-of-mouth news from a trusted source was more reliable than anything written down and thus access to news was limited to powerful people with a network of messengers and correspondents. Ordinary people made do with gossip, songs, and plays. In the Renaissance, merchants began to develop paid networks of manuscript news, or avvisi, but these were for specialists only, expensive and too hard for ordinary people to understand. This liminal system of distributed but exclusive news relied on a postal service whose emergence was constantly threatened during the Thirty Years War. As the printing industry grew, news appeared in the form of one-off pamphlets, whose popularity was fueled by the sectarian disputes of the period (Pettegree discusses this at much greater length in his last book). Only gradually did readers come to expect to read reports of things that were actually true, to the best of the printer's knowledge, as opposed to uncritically repeated stories of monstrous births, comets, witches, and whatnot. Early attempts at regular publication were stymied by the failure of ships to bring news when expected; "We hope, in the present scarcity of news, the following poems will not be unacceptable to our readers" (246). Early newspapers also perpetuated the experts-only, no-context style of the avvisi, which made newspaper reports frankly baffling to many of their early consumers. They often focused exclusively on distant rather than local events to avoid local controversy or censorship. Many were the product of a single publisher working with freelance distributors, and were discontinued when he exhausted himself.
What I like most about this author is his keen eye for the kind of detail that makes this period so colorful and ability to (occasionally) express historical observations in a rather zesty way. Early in the book, we have an "exasperated" medieval father writing to his son at university: "I have recently discovered that you live dissolutely and slothfully... strumming a guitar while the others are at their studies" (31). Charles I was "almost preternaturally devoid of political skill. From his search for a Catholic wife to his assault on the traditions of Parliament and the Church of England, the policies of Charles I seemed designed to coalesce a truculent but generally obedient people into defiance" (219). A 17th century English diarist who documented the news particularly relished "the evil consequences that befell those who profaned the Sabbath [like] two young men larking in the rigging of a ship at Whitechapel on a Sunday, when one fell to his death" (350).
Ultimately, what this book is about--instead of newspapers--is the formation of the Western way of viewing and evaluating the world beyond your own experience, as examined through the concept of news. Anyone who finds the theme appealing should hasten to read The Pursuit of Glory which treats similar topics (travel methods, postal service, coffee houses) in a more comprehensive way for the second half of the time period this book covers.
November 13, 2016
This is a fascinating book of just the kind I like, one that uses its focus to cuts across time and show how things change and stay the same, with lots of fascinating detail about particular moments. It's well written too. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in news from any point of view, and also to people who are interested in ways people do things. It's also going to go on my list of things I recommend to people wanting to do fantasy worldbuilding. Furthermore, I am going to read everything else Pettegree has written.
October 18, 2026
The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself is a rigorous yet readable account of an important transitional period in the history of news: from the invention of printing until the end of the 18th century. During this time, written materials become increasingly popular additions to word-of-mouth chatter. Having not read much on the topic before, I lazily assumed this was a linear process rather than proceeding in fits and starts. In fact the development of newspapers in Europe was very uneven, their success varying between countries and times. Until the true age of the newspaper dawned at the start of the nineteenth century, older forms of news dispersal continued to prevail: conversation, songs, personal letters, newsletters, pamphlets, etc. Pettegree recounts this complex transition with verve and nuance, enlivening the text with illustrative examples of news materials that have survived the centuries. These are obviously exceptional, as many such documents were printed in haste and intended to be disposable. Helpfully for archivists, some were sold as part-works for readers to collect and bind into a single volume.
The main theme of the book is the gradual and uneven shift from verbal to written or printed dissemination of news. This encompasses a history of postal services in Europe and the US, as well as providing a fascinating angle on the Renaissance. During periods of war and rapid political upheaval, accurate news was vitally important for rulers and traders alike. In the Middle Ages, this was a huge problem. People, and therefore information, could travel faster by water than over land, but sea voyages were much more unpredictable and risky. Pettegree's scope is perhaps more ambitious than the title would suggest, as a history of news is effectively also a history of communications technology. To explore such a broad topic, he draws upon a fascinating range of primary sources including diaries, letters, bills, court records, and news texts themselves. I appreciated the entertaining yet measured writing style, complete with extensive endnotes.
I learned a lot of interesting information from The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself, notably this tidbit about the early economics of printing. While the printing press was undoubtedly a transformative technology, that didn't mean it was immediately profitable:
Another fascinating insight was the waxing and waning of European government censorship over newspapers. Not entirely surprisingly, newspapers did not attain great popularity when they were a carefully-controlled government monopoly. This was the case in France until the revolution and was also a feature of Restoration England:
Pettegree has an eye for excellent anecdotes, for instance this on early forms of advertising in the press:
This ad begs the question of how the king lost these jewels during his coronation, not to mention whether he ever got them back.
I have a longstanding obsession with the French Revolution, so was particularly keen on the chapter discussing the flowering of newspapers and political pamphlets in France (mostly Paris) from 1789 to 1794. Pettegree suggests that the fall of the Bastille would not be considered a significant revolutionary milestone meriting a bank holiday were it not for the press at the time spinning it as such. The action had little practical or strategic value, but proved to be an enduring symbolic victory. I also enjoyed the discussion of tone and style in the revolutionary press, which inevitably cited Marat:
Although it took me a short while to get into, I found The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself highly rewarding and involving to read. It gave me a valuable fresh perspective on European history from the 14th to 19th centuries, as well as several fun new facts. At a time when technology is transforming the experience of news once again, historical context is especially worthwhile to learn about.
The main theme of the book is the gradual and uneven shift from verbal to written or printed dissemination of news. This encompasses a history of postal services in Europe and the US, as well as providing a fascinating angle on the Renaissance. During periods of war and rapid political upheaval, accurate news was vitally important for rulers and traders alike. In the Middle Ages, this was a huge problem. People, and therefore information, could travel faster by water than over land, but sea voyages were much more unpredictable and risky. Pettegree's scope is perhaps more ambitious than the title would suggest, as a history of news is effectively also a history of communications technology. To explore such a broad topic, he draws upon a fascinating range of primary sources including diaries, letters, bills, court records, and news texts themselves. I appreciated the entertaining yet measured writing style, complete with extensive endnotes.
I learned a lot of interesting information from The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself, notably this tidbit about the early economics of printing. While the printing press was undoubtedly a transformative technology, that didn't mean it was immediately profitable:
One of the ironies of Luther's later criticism of indulgences was they were not only hugely popular, but an early mainstay of the printing industry. After several centuries of evolution the theology of indulgences reached its mature form in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In return for the performance of pious acts - participation in a pilgrimage, contribution to a Crusade or church building - the repentant Christian was offered the assurance of remission of sin. The practice was closely associated with the doctrine of purgatory, to the extent that the length of remission, often forty days, was precisely quantified. The contribution was acknowledged with a receipt or certificate: initially on parchment or paper, and handwritten.
It was swiftly recognised that the labour of transcribing such certificates would be greatly reduced if the terms and details of the gift could be printed, leaving gaps for insertion of the name of the recipient and the sum donated. Certificates of indulgence soon became a ubiquitous feature of publishing in Germany. For prints, this was the ideal commission. The work was short, a few simple lines of text, easily set up and executed. [...] For indulgences we know of orders for 5000, 20000, even in one case for 200000 copies. This was work so lucrative that printers would often interrupt or put aside other orders to fulfil these commissions, as frustrated authors frequently complained. Gutenberg was one of many printers who undertook work of this sort, alongside more ambitious projects.
Another fascinating insight was the waxing and waning of European government censorship over newspapers. Not entirely surprisingly, newspapers did not attain great popularity when they were a carefully-controlled government monopoly. This was the case in France until the revolution and was also a feature of Restoration England:
The London Gazette would be edited from within the office of the Secretaries of State, its text chosen from incoming newsletters and foreign newspapers. The actual editorial work was performed by civil servants, quite junior members of the Secretary's staff. [...]
The Gazette, in this way, provided its readers with a very partial view of affairs, mostly confined to foreign news. Buts its sources of information were very good: text was abstracted from a range of continental newspapers and the manuscript news-books provided by continental newsmen as part of their exchange agreement. The Gazette was therefore reliable, and as informative as the government wished it to be. But apart from official communications, a reprinted proclamation or court circular, it said little or nothing about the pulsating politics of the day.
Pettegree has an eye for excellent anecdotes, for instance this on early forms of advertising in the press:
The Gazette, as a paper of record, resisted advertisements for six years, until in 1671 it started to accept personal ads. These were often, it must be admitted, of a rather superior nature. In the issue of 21 September 1671 the queen appealed for the return of a missing spaniel, with furry feet and liver-coloured spots. And who could imagine a grander lost property notice than that inserted in The Gazette of 4 May 1685 after the coronation of James II:
'Lost at their Majesties coronation the button [knob] of his Majesty's sceptre, set about with 24 small diamonds, three rubies and three emeralds; a pendant pearl from his Majesty's gown about 9 carets of 30 common grains, and about 16 great links of a gold chain. Whoever gives notice thereof to the officers of her [sic?] Majesty's Jewel-house, shall be well rewarded.
This ad begs the question of how the king lost these jewels during his coronation, not to mention whether he ever got them back.
I have a longstanding obsession with the French Revolution, so was particularly keen on the chapter discussing the flowering of newspapers and political pamphlets in France (mostly Paris) from 1789 to 1794. Pettegree suggests that the fall of the Bastille would not be considered a significant revolutionary milestone meriting a bank holiday were it not for the press at the time spinning it as such. The action had little practical or strategic value, but proved to be an enduring symbolic victory. I also enjoyed the discussion of tone and style in the revolutionary press, which inevitably cited Marat:
Periodicals, for all their eloquent advocacy of universal enfranchisement, still spoke in the voice of the educated elite. Marat's tirades of denunciation could be couched in a severely classical vocabulary. He made no attempt whatsoever to address the common people in their own patterns of speech; rather there was a conscious sense of distance. Several times a week his Ami du Peuple would conclude with an 'Address to the Citizenry', where in the exasperated tones of an Old Testament prophet he offered a foreboding vision of the future that would unfold should his readers ignore his injunctions.
Although it took me a short while to get into, I found The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself highly rewarding and involving to read. It gave me a valuable fresh perspective on European history from the 14th to 19th centuries, as well as several fun new facts. At a time when technology is transforming the experience of news once again, historical context is especially worthwhile to learn about.
January 28, 2023
Di difficile lettura (non propriamente scorrevole), ma molto chiaro nei concetti, dettagliato e interessante.
February 17, 2015
Non-fiction tends to lead me off the garden path and bog me down with trivial matters. What do I really know about the French Revolution or Tulipmania? And who are all these people he's talking about (other than Martin Luther - I rather think I've heard of him)? This had me spending many hours online (do not look up "breaking on the wheel"). I enjoyed this book, but really feel like I've had a heavy meal and need to go sleep it off.
Pettegree goes in depth on the origins and early struggles of the development of news in Europe, primarily over four centuries. News was of interest mostly to government and commerce and not to the common person. In this short period of time, it became crucial to even the common. Those who could not read, had the news read or even sung to them. They struggled trying to make sense of the dry periodic reports when the pamphlets that took a story from soup to nuts was more satisfying. Veracity was difficult to establish, especially when many printers were paid to report a certain way. A by-line was critical, So-and-so has written from (hahahaha) Deudtschlandt, etc. The flurry of newspapers and pamphlets during the French Revolution had an enormous effect on public opinion, even hallowing the storming of the Bastille as a major event although only 7 prisoners were set free and mostly ammo was liberated.
The notes and bibliography are copious if not downright daunting. Illustrations only pique one's interest. Even the cover is a delight, which takes the form of a vintage printed page and ends with "Published by Yale University Press To be sold throughout the kingdom & the rest of the known world." But I'm so glad to turn it back in because it has been darn heavy to carry around all these weeks.
Pettegree goes in depth on the origins and early struggles of the development of news in Europe, primarily over four centuries. News was of interest mostly to government and commerce and not to the common person. In this short period of time, it became crucial to even the common. Those who could not read, had the news read or even sung to them. They struggled trying to make sense of the dry periodic reports when the pamphlets that took a story from soup to nuts was more satisfying. Veracity was difficult to establish, especially when many printers were paid to report a certain way. A by-line was critical, So-and-so has written from (hahahaha) Deudtschlandt, etc. The flurry of newspapers and pamphlets during the French Revolution had an enormous effect on public opinion, even hallowing the storming of the Bastille as a major event although only 7 prisoners were set free and mostly ammo was liberated.
The notes and bibliography are copious if not downright daunting. Illustrations only pique one's interest. Even the cover is a delight, which takes the form of a vintage printed page and ends with "Published by Yale University Press To be sold throughout the kingdom & the rest of the known world." But I'm so glad to turn it back in because it has been darn heavy to carry around all these weeks.
June 15, 2019
“Che notizie ci sono?” era la prima domanda che in passato chiunque rivolgeva ai presenti quando arrivava in qualche località. Notizie, ma che cos’è precisamente una notizia? Una rivolta in qualche parte del regno per un re, prezzi in ribasso o in rialzo per un mercante, animali mostruosi che popolano luoghi esotici, un fattaccio di cronaca nera o un terremoto devastante per gli avventori di sconvenienti taverne e lupanari, la morte o l’esilio di un personaggio importante per un diplomatico… il termine “notizia” non si lascia facilmente incasellare.
Cercando una definizione accettabile Robert Darnton ha scritto che “le notizie non sono cose accadute […], bensì racconti su cose accadute”, ma allora, immediatamente, si pone il problema della veridicità e della affidabilità di questi racconti.
Ben oltre la fine del Medio Evo le notizie viaggiavano a voce, migrando di bocca in bocca: pellegrini in visita ai conventi e in giro per il mondo, marinai in sosta, “artisti” di strada, la varia congerie di mendicanti e poveracci… perfino la cultura alta delle prime università era prevalentemente orale.
Regnanti e potenti avevano bisogno di notizie certe: la trasmissione per via orale delle informazioni aumentava il rischio che queste venissero ingigantite e deformate se non stravolte. Proprio per questo motivo era la reputazione delle persone a dare credibilità alle informazioni (p. 5). C’era un secondo problema: dopo la disgregazione dell’Impero la mirabile rete stradale costruita dai Romani era caduta in sfacelo. Viaggiare era difficile, pericoloso e richiedeva molto tempo. Era un lusso che coloro che governavano il mondo o si trovavano ai gradini alti della società non poteva permettersi. Se occorrevano informazioni sicure, era necessario che arrivassero o venissero divulgate velocemente. Perciò quasi ogni regnante cercò di sviluppare le vie di comunicazione infittendo le reti stradali. Banchieri e mercanti si affidavano ad agenzie specializzate nel veicolare notizie. Roma, che oltre ad essere il faro della cristianità era anche uno dei maggiori centri di potere del mondo, si affidava ai membri della famiglia Tassis “una famiglia italiana specializzata nella comunicazione” (p. 24) che si sarebbe posta al servizio anche di altri. Banchieri come i Fugger e grossi mercanti si sarebbero costruiti reti di comunicazioni affidabili di natura quasi privata e, a volte non del tutto legale.
Da questo punto di vista la riorganizzazione di un sistema postale internazionale verificatosi nel XVII secolo è passato quasi sotto silenzio perché meno eclatante dei rivolgimenti politici o degli spettacolari progressi della rivoluzione industriale, ma si trattò dell’inizio “di una nuova era” (p. 207).
Nuova era perché accanto a questa sorta di “rivoluzione silenziosa” se ne verificò un’altra ben più appariscente: la Riforma, il “primo evento ripreso dai mezzi di informazione europei (p. 86) .
Se Lutero non finì arrostito come Jan Hus fu perché seppe profittare egregiamente dell’invenzione della stampa di Gutenberg: lo scrivere opuscoli in tedesco in formato più piccolo rispetto ai testi precedenti fece sì che i suoi sermoni venissero stampati e diffusi in quantità enormi rispetto al passato. Perciò per Roma fu impossibile fermare la marea una volta che questa si era messa in moto.
Tra Lutero e l’invenzione di Gutenberg vi fu uno scambio di favori decisamente conveniente per entrambi: la stampa permise al grande riformatore di salvare la pelle, Lutero rilanciò la stampa su larga scala: furono in parecchi gli stampatori che mantennero il lavoro grazie alla prolificità del monaco.
Gli opuscoli a sfondo religioso non erano gli unici presenti sul mercato del nord Europa. Vi era tutta una produzione di opuscoli e broadsheet riguardanti guerre, terremoti, inondazioni e fatti curiosi. Parte di questa produzione può essere considerata una forma di stampa sensazionalistica, ma, soprattutto negli Zeitung tedeschi, il loro stile restava sobrio: l’intento era quello di emulare lo stile serio e affidabile della corrispondenza privata per rassicurare il lettore sulla veridicità di quanto veniva riportato.
Opuscoli, broadsheets, ballate e pamphlet ampliavano il mercato verso le classi popolari. Il loro costo era contenuto e relativamente abbordabile per un gran numero di persone. Invece, per un certo tempo, il giornale ebbe una vita molto meno brillante: la concorrenza delle notizie manoscritte rimase forte e duratura. Occorse parecchio tempo prima che riuscissero a competere con la disposizione razionale degli eventi che si poteva trovare negli opuscoli: le notizie si accavallavano e non venivano fornite ai lettori le bussole per orientarsi nella lettura: nel parlare dell’arrivo a corte di una personalità, il fatto era raccontato in sè e per sè, nulla si sapeva su chi fosse costui e cosa fosse andato a fare di preciso
L’acquisto di opuscoli, broadsheets, avvisi, prezzari ecc. presupponeva un minimo di alfabetizzazione e di disponibilità economica. Lo sviluppo della stampa, certi aspetti della Riforma (dopo l’invenzione della stampa le indulgenze venivano vendute su moduli prestampai) e lo spostamento dei mercati e delle fiere più importanti dal Mediterraneo al Nord Europa indicano chiaramente la connessione tra economia e mercato delle notizie. Le classi popolari si informavano nei mercati cittadini, nelle taverne e nei dintorni del porto: in questi luoghi la cultura orale restò a lungo predominante. La borghesia, almeno nel caso dell’Inghilterra, trovava il proprio ambito di discussione nelle caffetterie (il thé sarebbe arrivato più tardi), luoghi di ritrovo a metà strada tra la ricreazione e lo svago e gli affari e ben fornite di bollettini, avvisi e giornali.
La formazione di un mercato editoriale è solo uno dei fenomeni che svelano l’intreccio tra economia e stampa. Una maggiore disponibilità di lettori creò la possibilità di veicolare pubblicità e incrementare gli introiti: abbonamenti e vendite, da soli, difficilmente consentivano agli stampatori di rimanere a galla. Da questo punto di vista i Paesi Bassi, con una nutrita concorrenza tra numerose testate, furono tra i più attivi (p. 234). Abbonamenti, vendite e pubblicità, ma anche sovvenzioni occulte. Fu questa la strada scelta dalla Francia e che per centocinquant’anni prima della Rivoluzione francese riuscì a impedire la formazione di un mercato veramente concorrenziale. La corte assoldò scrittori e poeti e finanziò un unico giornale autorizzato a trasmettere gli Avvisi.
La strategia di bloccare sul nascere la possibile proliferazione dei giornali ci dice qualcosa su un problema che si presentò ben presto. Un numero cospicuo di lettori implicava anche il formarsi dell’opinione pubblica. Era una faccenda i cui pericoli insiti un uomo intelligente come Palo Sarpi aveva ben presenti: i lettori si facevano idee proprie (p. 254, nota 67). Roma cercò di risolvere la questione con la creazione dell’Indice e con la censura, ma in generale Regnanti e potenti si trovarono di fronte al quesito: cosa pubblicare (o lasciare che venisse pubblicato) e cosa invece occultare?
Governanti e potenti godono di un vantaggio essenziale: hanno a disposizione una quantità di notizie molto superiore e qualitativamente più valide di quelle di cui dispongono i governati. In Inghilterra un paio di stampatori intelligenti mostrò chiaramente al governo quali fossero i vataggi di disporre di una stampa asservita(p. 245); naturalmente la questione poteva essere rovesciata per creare malcontento nella popolazione e fu ciò che il Parlamento, scontento, cercò di fare. Tranne nel caso in cui siano direttamente coinvolti, generalmente gli uomini d’affari detestano le guerre: le vie di comunicazione diventano difficili, l’arrivo di merci incerto, i prezzi oscillano ecc., ma per chi opera nel mondo dell’informazione le cose non stanno affatto così: la curiosità e la sete di notizie aumentano e gli affari possono andare a gonfie vele. Nell’Europa moderna, travagliata da conflitti intermittenti, si formò il giornalismo politico e si scoprì che non solo gli ingredienti da dover usare erano molti – censurare/pubblicizzare, rassicurare/spronare, blandire/minacciare ecc.) ma dovevano essere usati con sapienza.
I giornalisti – una professione per lungo tempo disprezzata – scoprirono ben presto il potere insito nella “libertà di stampa”. In Inghilterra un uomo spregiudicato e privo di scrupoli si faceva pagare profumatamente ricattando i politici di pubblicare notizie sconvenienti sul loro conto. Ma a consolidare la posizione dei giornalisti furono le rivoluzioni. In Francia la Rivoluzione fece letteralmente esplodere la produzione di opuscoli, pamphlet e giornali: diventare giornalisti in quel periodo poteva fruttare molto bene, ma era anche pericoloso: non pochi dei giornalisti-politici protagonisti della Rivoluzione ci rimisero la testa (nel vero senso della parola).
* * *
La periodizzazione del libro di Pettegree si chiude qui, con i primi vagiti della età contemporanea. L’A è stato capace di dipingere un quadro veramente affascinante e non di rado divertente: conventi, piazze, corti, taverne, porti, patiboli, mercati, cronaca nera, fenomeni strani, profezie, mercanti, locande… Pettegree ci guida con mano sicura nel turbolento e affascinante mondo dell’Europa dell’età moderna con un libro scritto con uno stile elegante, leggero e spumeggiante.
Se proprio vogliamo trovare dei limiti, allora potremmo dire due cose. La prima, che i tre assi portanti della narrazione – l’oralità, il manoscritto e la stampa – raramente “giocano” tra loro. Lungo la narrazione appaiono spesso come blocchi distinti e in qualche modo separati tra loro, mentre probabilmente le cose erano più complesse. Tutte e tre le forme di diffusione delle notizie coesistevano e probabilmente si intrecciavano e sovrapponevano. Forse una maggiore articolazione sarebbe stata necessaria anche all’interno di ogni blocco – una notizia udita come gossip può avere un effetto diverso dalla stessa notizia sentita da un gruppo di artisti di strada…
La seconda, che l’affermazione stessa di Pettegree secondo cui “è chiaro che molti cittadini, nonostante la proliferazione dei fogli di notizie liberamente venduti […] potevano liberamente trarre tutte le informazioni che volevano” (p. 427), non sempre era vera e stride un poco con il rilievo che la stampa viene ad assumere nel corso della trattazione.
Quelle che avanzo non sono nemmeno critiche, sono semplici osservazioni che potrebbero essere oggetto di un prossimo lavoro. Intanto godetevi questo libro davvero bello e intelligente il cui successo è meritato
Cercando una definizione accettabile Robert Darnton ha scritto che “le notizie non sono cose accadute […], bensì racconti su cose accadute”, ma allora, immediatamente, si pone il problema della veridicità e della affidabilità di questi racconti.
Ben oltre la fine del Medio Evo le notizie viaggiavano a voce, migrando di bocca in bocca: pellegrini in visita ai conventi e in giro per il mondo, marinai in sosta, “artisti” di strada, la varia congerie di mendicanti e poveracci… perfino la cultura alta delle prime università era prevalentemente orale.
Regnanti e potenti avevano bisogno di notizie certe: la trasmissione per via orale delle informazioni aumentava il rischio che queste venissero ingigantite e deformate se non stravolte. Proprio per questo motivo era la reputazione delle persone a dare credibilità alle informazioni (p. 5). C’era un secondo problema: dopo la disgregazione dell’Impero la mirabile rete stradale costruita dai Romani era caduta in sfacelo. Viaggiare era difficile, pericoloso e richiedeva molto tempo. Era un lusso che coloro che governavano il mondo o si trovavano ai gradini alti della società non poteva permettersi. Se occorrevano informazioni sicure, era necessario che arrivassero o venissero divulgate velocemente. Perciò quasi ogni regnante cercò di sviluppare le vie di comunicazione infittendo le reti stradali. Banchieri e mercanti si affidavano ad agenzie specializzate nel veicolare notizie. Roma, che oltre ad essere il faro della cristianità era anche uno dei maggiori centri di potere del mondo, si affidava ai membri della famiglia Tassis “una famiglia italiana specializzata nella comunicazione” (p. 24) che si sarebbe posta al servizio anche di altri. Banchieri come i Fugger e grossi mercanti si sarebbero costruiti reti di comunicazioni affidabili di natura quasi privata e, a volte non del tutto legale.
Da questo punto di vista la riorganizzazione di un sistema postale internazionale verificatosi nel XVII secolo è passato quasi sotto silenzio perché meno eclatante dei rivolgimenti politici o degli spettacolari progressi della rivoluzione industriale, ma si trattò dell’inizio “di una nuova era” (p. 207).
Nuova era perché accanto a questa sorta di “rivoluzione silenziosa” se ne verificò un’altra ben più appariscente: la Riforma, il “primo evento ripreso dai mezzi di informazione europei (p. 86) .
Se Lutero non finì arrostito come Jan Hus fu perché seppe profittare egregiamente dell’invenzione della stampa di Gutenberg: lo scrivere opuscoli in tedesco in formato più piccolo rispetto ai testi precedenti fece sì che i suoi sermoni venissero stampati e diffusi in quantità enormi rispetto al passato. Perciò per Roma fu impossibile fermare la marea una volta che questa si era messa in moto.
Tra Lutero e l’invenzione di Gutenberg vi fu uno scambio di favori decisamente conveniente per entrambi: la stampa permise al grande riformatore di salvare la pelle, Lutero rilanciò la stampa su larga scala: furono in parecchi gli stampatori che mantennero il lavoro grazie alla prolificità del monaco.
Gli opuscoli a sfondo religioso non erano gli unici presenti sul mercato del nord Europa. Vi era tutta una produzione di opuscoli e broadsheet riguardanti guerre, terremoti, inondazioni e fatti curiosi. Parte di questa produzione può essere considerata una forma di stampa sensazionalistica, ma, soprattutto negli Zeitung tedeschi, il loro stile restava sobrio: l’intento era quello di emulare lo stile serio e affidabile della corrispondenza privata per rassicurare il lettore sulla veridicità di quanto veniva riportato.
Opuscoli, broadsheets, ballate e pamphlet ampliavano il mercato verso le classi popolari. Il loro costo era contenuto e relativamente abbordabile per un gran numero di persone. Invece, per un certo tempo, il giornale ebbe una vita molto meno brillante: la concorrenza delle notizie manoscritte rimase forte e duratura. Occorse parecchio tempo prima che riuscissero a competere con la disposizione razionale degli eventi che si poteva trovare negli opuscoli: le notizie si accavallavano e non venivano fornite ai lettori le bussole per orientarsi nella lettura: nel parlare dell’arrivo a corte di una personalità, il fatto era raccontato in sè e per sè, nulla si sapeva su chi fosse costui e cosa fosse andato a fare di preciso
L’acquisto di opuscoli, broadsheets, avvisi, prezzari ecc. presupponeva un minimo di alfabetizzazione e di disponibilità economica. Lo sviluppo della stampa, certi aspetti della Riforma (dopo l’invenzione della stampa le indulgenze venivano vendute su moduli prestampai) e lo spostamento dei mercati e delle fiere più importanti dal Mediterraneo al Nord Europa indicano chiaramente la connessione tra economia e mercato delle notizie. Le classi popolari si informavano nei mercati cittadini, nelle taverne e nei dintorni del porto: in questi luoghi la cultura orale restò a lungo predominante. La borghesia, almeno nel caso dell’Inghilterra, trovava il proprio ambito di discussione nelle caffetterie (il thé sarebbe arrivato più tardi), luoghi di ritrovo a metà strada tra la ricreazione e lo svago e gli affari e ben fornite di bollettini, avvisi e giornali.
La formazione di un mercato editoriale è solo uno dei fenomeni che svelano l’intreccio tra economia e stampa. Una maggiore disponibilità di lettori creò la possibilità di veicolare pubblicità e incrementare gli introiti: abbonamenti e vendite, da soli, difficilmente consentivano agli stampatori di rimanere a galla. Da questo punto di vista i Paesi Bassi, con una nutrita concorrenza tra numerose testate, furono tra i più attivi (p. 234). Abbonamenti, vendite e pubblicità, ma anche sovvenzioni occulte. Fu questa la strada scelta dalla Francia e che per centocinquant’anni prima della Rivoluzione francese riuscì a impedire la formazione di un mercato veramente concorrenziale. La corte assoldò scrittori e poeti e finanziò un unico giornale autorizzato a trasmettere gli Avvisi.
La strategia di bloccare sul nascere la possibile proliferazione dei giornali ci dice qualcosa su un problema che si presentò ben presto. Un numero cospicuo di lettori implicava anche il formarsi dell’opinione pubblica. Era una faccenda i cui pericoli insiti un uomo intelligente come Palo Sarpi aveva ben presenti: i lettori si facevano idee proprie (p. 254, nota 67). Roma cercò di risolvere la questione con la creazione dell’Indice e con la censura, ma in generale Regnanti e potenti si trovarono di fronte al quesito: cosa pubblicare (o lasciare che venisse pubblicato) e cosa invece occultare?
Governanti e potenti godono di un vantaggio essenziale: hanno a disposizione una quantità di notizie molto superiore e qualitativamente più valide di quelle di cui dispongono i governati. In Inghilterra un paio di stampatori intelligenti mostrò chiaramente al governo quali fossero i vataggi di disporre di una stampa asservita(p. 245); naturalmente la questione poteva essere rovesciata per creare malcontento nella popolazione e fu ciò che il Parlamento, scontento, cercò di fare. Tranne nel caso in cui siano direttamente coinvolti, generalmente gli uomini d’affari detestano le guerre: le vie di comunicazione diventano difficili, l’arrivo di merci incerto, i prezzi oscillano ecc., ma per chi opera nel mondo dell’informazione le cose non stanno affatto così: la curiosità e la sete di notizie aumentano e gli affari possono andare a gonfie vele. Nell’Europa moderna, travagliata da conflitti intermittenti, si formò il giornalismo politico e si scoprì che non solo gli ingredienti da dover usare erano molti – censurare/pubblicizzare, rassicurare/spronare, blandire/minacciare ecc.) ma dovevano essere usati con sapienza.
I giornalisti – una professione per lungo tempo disprezzata – scoprirono ben presto il potere insito nella “libertà di stampa”. In Inghilterra un uomo spregiudicato e privo di scrupoli si faceva pagare profumatamente ricattando i politici di pubblicare notizie sconvenienti sul loro conto. Ma a consolidare la posizione dei giornalisti furono le rivoluzioni. In Francia la Rivoluzione fece letteralmente esplodere la produzione di opuscoli, pamphlet e giornali: diventare giornalisti in quel periodo poteva fruttare molto bene, ma era anche pericoloso: non pochi dei giornalisti-politici protagonisti della Rivoluzione ci rimisero la testa (nel vero senso della parola).
* * *
La periodizzazione del libro di Pettegree si chiude qui, con i primi vagiti della età contemporanea. L’A è stato capace di dipingere un quadro veramente affascinante e non di rado divertente: conventi, piazze, corti, taverne, porti, patiboli, mercati, cronaca nera, fenomeni strani, profezie, mercanti, locande… Pettegree ci guida con mano sicura nel turbolento e affascinante mondo dell’Europa dell’età moderna con un libro scritto con uno stile elegante, leggero e spumeggiante.
Se proprio vogliamo trovare dei limiti, allora potremmo dire due cose. La prima, che i tre assi portanti della narrazione – l’oralità, il manoscritto e la stampa – raramente “giocano” tra loro. Lungo la narrazione appaiono spesso come blocchi distinti e in qualche modo separati tra loro, mentre probabilmente le cose erano più complesse. Tutte e tre le forme di diffusione delle notizie coesistevano e probabilmente si intrecciavano e sovrapponevano. Forse una maggiore articolazione sarebbe stata necessaria anche all’interno di ogni blocco – una notizia udita come gossip può avere un effetto diverso dalla stessa notizia sentita da un gruppo di artisti di strada…
La seconda, che l’affermazione stessa di Pettegree secondo cui “è chiaro che molti cittadini, nonostante la proliferazione dei fogli di notizie liberamente venduti […] potevano liberamente trarre tutte le informazioni che volevano” (p. 427), non sempre era vera e stride un poco con il rilievo che la stampa viene ad assumere nel corso della trattazione.
Quelle che avanzo non sono nemmeno critiche, sono semplici osservazioni che potrebbero essere oggetto di un prossimo lavoro. Intanto godetevi questo libro davvero bello e intelligente il cui successo è meritato
April 18, 2021
This was admittedly a somewhat frustrating book to read. But it's jampacked with (mostly) fascinating information on the history of the communications of 'news' in (mainly) Western Europe from the fifteenth to the end of the eighteenth century.
He essentially ends his book at a point before what we would recognise as newspapers really start developing and becoming the dominant form of news reporting. Therefore, anyone specifically seeking a history of newspapers will be somewhat disappointed.
But he is intent on explaining the territory in which newspapers came into being and the reasons why it took so long for them to be perceived as offering anything better than the forms of communications (e.g. private news services, specialised journals, adhoc pamphlets) in existence throughout the centuries covered. Thus, he spends much time on aspects such as the development of private and public postal networks and logistical and political considerations.
Much of this is interesting. One aspect he touches on far too sketchily (and far too late in the book) is the history of literacy over the period. Without having a clear idea of how many Europeans could read - and what sort of individuals - in different areas and at different times, it's hard to really grasp who was going to read the news (or have the news read to them?). Did literacy increase because of the growing availability of valuable news reporting? Or did news publications increase in availability on the back of increased literacy?
Additionally, he jumps around Europe (and, then, North America) as he moves forward chronologically rather than comprehensively covering all key countries across the period. For example, we start in Italy, then spend most of the later centuries in Northern Europe. He explains this to a degree, but we never really go back to Italy to see what has happened over the intervening years.
Much of interest here. I just wish that it had been structured and focused differently. And that much of what he concludes at the end of the book was actually covered earlier on and threaded through the text - rather than presented as a rabbit out of a hat at the very end.
He essentially ends his book at a point before what we would recognise as newspapers really start developing and becoming the dominant form of news reporting. Therefore, anyone specifically seeking a history of newspapers will be somewhat disappointed.
But he is intent on explaining the territory in which newspapers came into being and the reasons why it took so long for them to be perceived as offering anything better than the forms of communications (e.g. private news services, specialised journals, adhoc pamphlets) in existence throughout the centuries covered. Thus, he spends much time on aspects such as the development of private and public postal networks and logistical and political considerations.
Much of this is interesting. One aspect he touches on far too sketchily (and far too late in the book) is the history of literacy over the period. Without having a clear idea of how many Europeans could read - and what sort of individuals - in different areas and at different times, it's hard to really grasp who was going to read the news (or have the news read to them?). Did literacy increase because of the growing availability of valuable news reporting? Or did news publications increase in availability on the back of increased literacy?
Additionally, he jumps around Europe (and, then, North America) as he moves forward chronologically rather than comprehensively covering all key countries across the period. For example, we start in Italy, then spend most of the later centuries in Northern Europe. He explains this to a degree, but we never really go back to Italy to see what has happened over the intervening years.
Much of interest here. I just wish that it had been structured and focused differently. And that much of what he concludes at the end of the book was actually covered earlier on and threaded through the text - rather than presented as a rabbit out of a hat at the very end.
November 19, 2014
The subject is a little bit misleading...Pettegree spends almost half the book on the development of the Western European post. That is fascinating, but a little more about postal services than newspapers in many respects. By the end, he seems tired of discussing the newspapers and cuts off at 1800. It was unclear if he meant to write a sequel. But the 19th century offers so much more material - the use of the telegraph to communicate in war, for example, that it felt like he gave up. 1800 is an arbitrary date.
June 6, 2020
I abandoned this book partway in. I didn't expect a textbook! It was more detailed than I was interested in. Every time I thought I'd seen the last of the 1200s, there they were, back again!
August 14, 2026
A few observations about the news based on this often dense history of it.
First, there was nothing. Then people wanted to know what was going on. Aside from just talking with people... In the Roman Empire, this led to letter writing. Not only would Cicero write a letter, he'd keep a copy for himself to reference and, if necessary, copy / forward on to others.
The Reformation can be understood as a media event.
Print news networks relied on the development of postal services. Much of this history is a history of international postal networks. Interestingly, the one that made it through was privately run, and the Taxis family funded it by selling to not only the nobility but also the merchant class.
There were dinosaur versions of newspapers that took centuries to evolve into what we understand as newspapers today (or that I understood as newspapers when I was younger, perhaps). Most surprisingly, to me, were wandering news singers. As for print, we see early forms in Italy (avvisi) and Germany (Zeitungsschau) and in the Dutch Republic. These sorts of papers seem to be the origin of what we'd call reporting—lots of facts with limited context. Opinion was mostly in pamphlets. Specialized interests were "reported" on, if I can use that verb, in journals.
Letter writing was a big deal, though Pettegree suggests that they evolved to be more personal rather than political in nature. This craze for letter writing appears to explain why we see so many epistolary novels during the early development of the English novels.
For whatever reason, an obsession for coffee houses and news seems to have arrived almost hand in hand. The laptop class in cafes can trace its history at least as far back as this period.
The USA revolutionary leaders understood the importance of the press and used it to their advantage, which is one reason why the first amendment mentions the press. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson all had opinions about the press. Washington comes across as more of a letter writer.
Robespierre also had a lot to say about the press and how it should be used to bring about the revolution. His ideas don't seem far removed from how many people today seem to think about influencing public opinion.
The development of daily newspapers took centuries, in part, Pettegree argues, b/c all of these antecedent networks were already mastered and made use of by the powerful. In this way, the daily news became a sort of leveller and a creator of an informed public.
People also don't appear to have always wanted their "news" to be true. Spectacle, humour, and satire were all part of the package from the beginning until now. Pettegree also suggests that there was a social status associated with being a news reader, again not so different from today.
I often worry about today's information environment and what it reveals about the people around me. In reading The Invention of the News, I suppose that I see a lot more commonality between the past and the present than I might have expected. I find that both reassuring and unsettling.
I finally note that the cover is fantastic.
Notes:
First, there was nothing. Then people wanted to know what was going on. Aside from just talking with people... In the Roman Empire, this led to letter writing. Not only would Cicero write a letter, he'd keep a copy for himself to reference and, if necessary, copy / forward on to others.
The Reformation can be understood as a media event.
Print news networks relied on the development of postal services. Much of this history is a history of international postal networks. Interestingly, the one that made it through was privately run, and the Taxis family funded it by selling to not only the nobility but also the merchant class.
There were dinosaur versions of newspapers that took centuries to evolve into what we understand as newspapers today (or that I understood as newspapers when I was younger, perhaps). Most surprisingly, to me, were wandering news singers. As for print, we see early forms in Italy (avvisi) and Germany (Zeitungsschau) and in the Dutch Republic. These sorts of papers seem to be the origin of what we'd call reporting—lots of facts with limited context. Opinion was mostly in pamphlets. Specialized interests were "reported" on, if I can use that verb, in journals.
Letter writing was a big deal, though Pettegree suggests that they evolved to be more personal rather than political in nature. This craze for letter writing appears to explain why we see so many epistolary novels during the early development of the English novels.
For whatever reason, an obsession for coffee houses and news seems to have arrived almost hand in hand. The laptop class in cafes can trace its history at least as far back as this period.
The USA revolutionary leaders understood the importance of the press and used it to their advantage, which is one reason why the first amendment mentions the press. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson all had opinions about the press. Washington comes across as more of a letter writer.
Robespierre also had a lot to say about the press and how it should be used to bring about the revolution. His ideas don't seem far removed from how many people today seem to think about influencing public opinion.
The development of daily newspapers took centuries, in part, Pettegree argues, b/c all of these antecedent networks were already mastered and made use of by the powerful. In this way, the daily news became a sort of leveller and a creator of an informed public.
People also don't appear to have always wanted their "news" to be true. Spectacle, humour, and satire were all part of the package from the beginning until now. Pettegree also suggests that there was a social status associated with being a news reader, again not so different from today.
I often worry about today's information environment and what it reveals about the people around me. In reading The Invention of the News, I suppose that I see a lot more commonality between the past and the present than I might have expected. I find that both reassuring and unsettling.
I finally note that the cover is fantastic.
Notes:
October 10, 2022
These days we take the news for granted. The mix of factual reporting about things that happened recently, editorial commentary, and subscriptions advertising for financial support, seems obvious and permanent, whether it's in legacy print media, 24/7 cable, or radio supported by listeners like you. But of course, this wasn't always the case. There was a time when news itself was novel.
Russkaja - Here Is The News
Pettegree walks through the technological and social revolution that created news as we know it, from the 14th century to the 18th century. This revolution relied on two key bits of technology. The first was the printing press, and mechanical reproduction of text. The second was the postal service, as the ad hoc communication systems of the Middle Ages were converted to reliable and rapid courier routes that blended imperial political authority with commercial needs.
The social revolution is more diffuse, but roughly tracks with the rise of the bourgeois. Initially, the class of people who had to be informed of events was the relatively small political elite of the aristocracy, their religious counterparts in the leading figures of the Catholic Church, and a handful of international merchants. But through the early modern period, this grew to encompass the rising urban bourgeois, as well as those who saw themselves ideologically linked with the new conflicts of the Protestant Reformation.
The mature newspaper appears only at the end of this period, but Pettegree traces several intermediates. The first are printed pamphlets, a common and profitable venue for print shops which had filled out local demand for bibles and Greek and Latin classics. Pamphlets covered a single topic in detail, which could be news-like, such as significant recent battle, but often were astonishing and monstrous occurrences (fire in the sky, animals born of women, etc), and lurid accounts of murder that could be reprinted for decades after the actual event.
Another format was the avvisi, a hand-written account of significant events dispatched to a distant place. Avvisi's were born in Italy, and were narrow insider accounts of political maneuverings, private intelligent subscribed at great cost for an elite audience. But the information of the avvisi penetrated into the public sphere of oral accounts and rumors, passing from the great and influential to the small and often drunk. "What news?" became a greeting on the strength of reliable and distant truths in avvisis.
The newspaper, a serial, subscribed, and printed account of news only emerged in the late 17th century. Newspapers rapidly fell into two camps. One was anodyne official gazettes which collected foreign news and avoided domestic reporting aside from pro-government propaganda, whatever that domestic government might be. A second form was the journal, an opinionated, specialist periodical, whether for men of philosophy, fashionable gentlemen, or those engaged in a particular branch of commerce. Journals were often one-man shows, and lasted until the writer-editor-publisher-circulation agent burnt out under the constant need for new content. Journals also pioneered the combination of advertising and reporting which is the devil's bargain of news. Much like the posts, which relied on government subsidy and commercial access to enable reliable transmission of letters, ordinary people are unwilling to fund the peacetime infrastructure to get the facts they need in moments of crisis.
The book ends just as it gets interesting, with newspapers playing a key political role in the democratic revolutions in America and France that ended the 18th century. I think there's a really sharp 100 page monograph in here, which is covered over with interesting, but vaguely irrelevant details. For me, this book answered a question which had been raised in Anderson's Imagined Communities about the role of newspapers in creating nationalism, by showing how newspapers created themselves and their readership.
Russkaja - Here Is The News
Pettegree walks through the technological and social revolution that created news as we know it, from the 14th century to the 18th century. This revolution relied on two key bits of technology. The first was the printing press, and mechanical reproduction of text. The second was the postal service, as the ad hoc communication systems of the Middle Ages were converted to reliable and rapid courier routes that blended imperial political authority with commercial needs.
The social revolution is more diffuse, but roughly tracks with the rise of the bourgeois. Initially, the class of people who had to be informed of events was the relatively small political elite of the aristocracy, their religious counterparts in the leading figures of the Catholic Church, and a handful of international merchants. But through the early modern period, this grew to encompass the rising urban bourgeois, as well as those who saw themselves ideologically linked with the new conflicts of the Protestant Reformation.
The mature newspaper appears only at the end of this period, but Pettegree traces several intermediates. The first are printed pamphlets, a common and profitable venue for print shops which had filled out local demand for bibles and Greek and Latin classics. Pamphlets covered a single topic in detail, which could be news-like, such as significant recent battle, but often were astonishing and monstrous occurrences (fire in the sky, animals born of women, etc), and lurid accounts of murder that could be reprinted for decades after the actual event.
Another format was the avvisi, a hand-written account of significant events dispatched to a distant place. Avvisi's were born in Italy, and were narrow insider accounts of political maneuverings, private intelligent subscribed at great cost for an elite audience. But the information of the avvisi penetrated into the public sphere of oral accounts and rumors, passing from the great and influential to the small and often drunk. "What news?" became a greeting on the strength of reliable and distant truths in avvisis.
The newspaper, a serial, subscribed, and printed account of news only emerged in the late 17th century. Newspapers rapidly fell into two camps. One was anodyne official gazettes which collected foreign news and avoided domestic reporting aside from pro-government propaganda, whatever that domestic government might be. A second form was the journal, an opinionated, specialist periodical, whether for men of philosophy, fashionable gentlemen, or those engaged in a particular branch of commerce. Journals were often one-man shows, and lasted until the writer-editor-publisher-circulation agent burnt out under the constant need for new content. Journals also pioneered the combination of advertising and reporting which is the devil's bargain of news. Much like the posts, which relied on government subsidy and commercial access to enable reliable transmission of letters, ordinary people are unwilling to fund the peacetime infrastructure to get the facts they need in moments of crisis.
The book ends just as it gets interesting, with newspapers playing a key political role in the democratic revolutions in America and France that ended the 18th century. I think there's a really sharp 100 page monograph in here, which is covered over with interesting, but vaguely irrelevant details. For me, this book answered a question which had been raised in Anderson's Imagined Communities about the role of newspapers in creating nationalism, by showing how newspapers created themselves and their readership.
September 10, 2019
This book contains 400 pages of extensive historical trivia, about European events and news media of the last 400 years. Sources and footnotes abound, though an overall theme is not entirely clear. The first several chapters note the early transmission of news orally, then by private letters and a slow expensive postal service, with surprisingly little interest in interpreting the outside world. The author expresses surprise that newspapers developed so slowly. He marks the French Revolution as a turning point for the development of the modern, news-oriented, opinionated newspaper (we note that "journal" is the French term for newspaper), apparently largely because the government lost control of monopolies, and there was so much to discuss, and the revolutionary tribunals at first encouraged discussion and debate, so debate flourished! Governments usually suppress unpleasant debate, whether directly via censorship and libel laws, or indirectly by subsidizing favorable press.
Each chapter is nicely plotted, with explanations and transitions that chart a clear course through the many trivial diversions; however, an overall narrative tone seems lacking. The subtitle promises a more philosophical or even psychological theme that is lacking. We seek a bit more moralizing, frankly, from our authors! The apparent epigram -- the news must be current and must be trustworthy -- carries political portent that the author avoids. But the book remains full of interesting asides, for example ascribing Martin Luther's survival and success to the advent of the printing press (while the earlier reformer Jan Hus was executed, alone). The author also claims that a number of situations we now view as "crises" were not so viewed at the time: the Tulipmania bubble in Holland, the SouthSeas bubble in England, and the American Revolution -- news media in 1776 London was focused on a bigamy trial! He also notes old examples of partisan campaigning from the 1700s: "I make it a rule to abuse him who is against me..."
It is clearly England-centered, with no discussion of Asia or Africa. In all, a lengthy book more useful I think for history than for journalism. The author seems quite sanguine about the current decline of newsprint -- I would like to hear his opinions about the reasons for and impact of the decline.
Each chapter is nicely plotted, with explanations and transitions that chart a clear course through the many trivial diversions; however, an overall narrative tone seems lacking. The subtitle promises a more philosophical or even psychological theme that is lacking. We seek a bit more moralizing, frankly, from our authors! The apparent epigram -- the news must be current and must be trustworthy -- carries political portent that the author avoids. But the book remains full of interesting asides, for example ascribing Martin Luther's survival and success to the advent of the printing press (while the earlier reformer Jan Hus was executed, alone). The author also claims that a number of situations we now view as "crises" were not so viewed at the time: the Tulipmania bubble in Holland, the SouthSeas bubble in England, and the American Revolution -- news media in 1776 London was focused on a bigamy trial! He also notes old examples of partisan campaigning from the 1700s: "I make it a rule to abuse him who is against me..."
It is clearly England-centered, with no discussion of Asia or Africa. In all, a lengthy book more useful I think for history than for journalism. The author seems quite sanguine about the current decline of newsprint -- I would like to hear his opinions about the reasons for and impact of the decline.
August 24, 2015
A lot happened in the western world between the 15th and 18th centuries. 'The Invention of News' spans four hundred years that saw the invention of the printing press, the Reformation of the church, the expansion of global trade routes, spawling international conflicts and momentous poltical revolutions in England, France and America.
With all this going on, it is perhaps unsurprising that a market for news developped during this period, within populations increasingly interested in international and domestic affairs. Yet, despite Gutenberg's technological breakthrough in 1450, the newspaper itself took a surprisingly long time to become the primary organ of all this activity. In fact, as the author ably demonstrates, it is probably more of a product of these upheavals than their herald.
One of Petegree's central aims is to acknowledge of the diversity of the media landscape into which newspapers emerged, noting astutely how this continues to develop with the emergence of the digital media that challenge their primacy today.
Pre-Gutenberg, news would travel through a large illiterate population by word-of-mouth, or through court messangers employed by those few people who could afford them. The personal reputation of trusted sources was key.
The forerunners of printed news were hand-written manuscript services used by Italian merchants in the 16th century to keep abreast of international affairs and changing prices for goods which might affect their business. These Avissi would collate verbal reports and written correspondence from foreign cities in the order that they arrived, citing the date, city of origin, and often the personal source of the news - a practice still common in newswires.
It was this format that the first enterprising newspapers copied from the start of the 17th century. Yet the stream of data would come with no context, explanation or analysis. The increasingly literate and affluent population who could now afford the luxury of a newspaper might be able access information previously only available to the inner circles of power, but they might not be aware of its significance.
The marshaling of public opinion was a battle fought instead through pamphlets, which enjoyed their first explosion during the wars sparked by the Reformation and reached their frenzied peak during the French Revolution two and a half centuries later. These ephemeral publications could be produced and distributed quickly and cheaply in response to demand for news of major events. Unlike the subscription-based model of newspapers, they had no need to acknowledge their publisher in the interest of repeat business, and so could be far more liberal in their often contentious and highly partisan opinion.
It is no coincidence that such developments went hand in hand with the emergence of Europe from a feudal system into a place of commerce, and an awakening of conciousness which saw people question first the church, then the rights of their rulers and eventually their own role in civil society.
In fact the potential to excite the population was one quickly recognised by civil authorities, who initially imposed strict copy-checking policy on very closely controlled monopolies, as in the Netherlands, or even completely nationalised the press, as in the case of The Gazette in France. In this climate, when one word wrong could leave to arrest, many printers were initially happy to restrict their content to the coverage of less contentious foreign affairs.
The most notable exception the rule was England where, following the English Civil War and subsequent Glorious Revolution, a unique news ecology developped which saw publications effectively bought as propoganda tools by rival political parties. The French and American revolutions saw later relaxation of domestic news coverage - albeit temporary in the case of the former.
One of the major strengths of Petegree's book is an ability to link the development of news with the emergence of other industries of the time, including financial markets in the 18th century, first evidenced in the Tulip crisis and South Sea Bubble, or the establishment of coffee houses as centres of discussion and debate closely associated with the rise of other forms of journal and periodical.
Besides the printing press, the innovation most central to the establishment of regular news services was the development of a European postal network during the 16th century, to link the major trade centres of Italy and the Netherlands via the Holy Roman Empire in Germany. In an age of instantaneous alert, it is fascinating to consider how the speed of news depended for so long on the speed of horse travel - around 50 miles a day with the fastest couriers - often delayed indefinatley by rough sea crossings and political turmoil. It took until the early 18th century for printed news to establish itself as a regular feature in daily life.
Petegree also examines the role of advertising, in introducing domestic news and affairs into the pages of newspapers through the first personal and business ads. These even include one man offering notice that he will no longer be liable for the financial misconduct of his wife.
One of the most charming aspects of the book is its ability to illustrate the times in which it trades, calling on first hand accounts of consumers of news as well as contemporary reportage and insight into the lives of news producers and distributors. The way in which superstitious tales tales of strange occurrences give way to more factual reports is evidence of a mankind's changing awareness of the world at this time. Yet it some news, such as battle reports, gruesome murders, moral tales and societal gossip, remain of timeless interest.
This is a fascinating and illuminating history which explores a momentous period of political and economic development towards the world we live in today through contemporary sources and perceptions. It successfully paints a complex picture of the news ecology, while demonstrating how the interest in, market for and presentation of information developped in tandem with commercial growth, civil engagement and enlightenment thinking. There were a few times when I found myself wondering whether I needed the depth of study provided on certain topics, but these were far between and recompensed by the quality of research and the lucidity of the greater narrative. Excellent.
With all this going on, it is perhaps unsurprising that a market for news developped during this period, within populations increasingly interested in international and domestic affairs. Yet, despite Gutenberg's technological breakthrough in 1450, the newspaper itself took a surprisingly long time to become the primary organ of all this activity. In fact, as the author ably demonstrates, it is probably more of a product of these upheavals than their herald.
One of Petegree's central aims is to acknowledge of the diversity of the media landscape into which newspapers emerged, noting astutely how this continues to develop with the emergence of the digital media that challenge their primacy today.
Pre-Gutenberg, news would travel through a large illiterate population by word-of-mouth, or through court messangers employed by those few people who could afford them. The personal reputation of trusted sources was key.
The forerunners of printed news were hand-written manuscript services used by Italian merchants in the 16th century to keep abreast of international affairs and changing prices for goods which might affect their business. These Avissi would collate verbal reports and written correspondence from foreign cities in the order that they arrived, citing the date, city of origin, and often the personal source of the news - a practice still common in newswires.
It was this format that the first enterprising newspapers copied from the start of the 17th century. Yet the stream of data would come with no context, explanation or analysis. The increasingly literate and affluent population who could now afford the luxury of a newspaper might be able access information previously only available to the inner circles of power, but they might not be aware of its significance.
The marshaling of public opinion was a battle fought instead through pamphlets, which enjoyed their first explosion during the wars sparked by the Reformation and reached their frenzied peak during the French Revolution two and a half centuries later. These ephemeral publications could be produced and distributed quickly and cheaply in response to demand for news of major events. Unlike the subscription-based model of newspapers, they had no need to acknowledge their publisher in the interest of repeat business, and so could be far more liberal in their often contentious and highly partisan opinion.
It is no coincidence that such developments went hand in hand with the emergence of Europe from a feudal system into a place of commerce, and an awakening of conciousness which saw people question first the church, then the rights of their rulers and eventually their own role in civil society.
In fact the potential to excite the population was one quickly recognised by civil authorities, who initially imposed strict copy-checking policy on very closely controlled monopolies, as in the Netherlands, or even completely nationalised the press, as in the case of The Gazette in France. In this climate, when one word wrong could leave to arrest, many printers were initially happy to restrict their content to the coverage of less contentious foreign affairs.
The most notable exception the rule was England where, following the English Civil War and subsequent Glorious Revolution, a unique news ecology developped which saw publications effectively bought as propoganda tools by rival political parties. The French and American revolutions saw later relaxation of domestic news coverage - albeit temporary in the case of the former.
One of the major strengths of Petegree's book is an ability to link the development of news with the emergence of other industries of the time, including financial markets in the 18th century, first evidenced in the Tulip crisis and South Sea Bubble, or the establishment of coffee houses as centres of discussion and debate closely associated with the rise of other forms of journal and periodical.
Besides the printing press, the innovation most central to the establishment of regular news services was the development of a European postal network during the 16th century, to link the major trade centres of Italy and the Netherlands via the Holy Roman Empire in Germany. In an age of instantaneous alert, it is fascinating to consider how the speed of news depended for so long on the speed of horse travel - around 50 miles a day with the fastest couriers - often delayed indefinatley by rough sea crossings and political turmoil. It took until the early 18th century for printed news to establish itself as a regular feature in daily life.
Petegree also examines the role of advertising, in introducing domestic news and affairs into the pages of newspapers through the first personal and business ads. These even include one man offering notice that he will no longer be liable for the financial misconduct of his wife.
One of the most charming aspects of the book is its ability to illustrate the times in which it trades, calling on first hand accounts of consumers of news as well as contemporary reportage and insight into the lives of news producers and distributors. The way in which superstitious tales tales of strange occurrences give way to more factual reports is evidence of a mankind's changing awareness of the world at this time. Yet it some news, such as battle reports, gruesome murders, moral tales and societal gossip, remain of timeless interest.
This is a fascinating and illuminating history which explores a momentous period of political and economic development towards the world we live in today through contemporary sources and perceptions. It successfully paints a complex picture of the news ecology, while demonstrating how the interest in, market for and presentation of information developped in tandem with commercial growth, civil engagement and enlightenment thinking. There were a few times when I found myself wondering whether I needed the depth of study provided on certain topics, but these were far between and recompensed by the quality of research and the lucidity of the greater narrative. Excellent.
January 26, 2022
3.5/5
It is important to keep in mind, that the author describes the topic only from the perspective of leading European countries and just touching the US at some point. As if any other places/countries/continents do not exist and never exchanged the news, never had newspapers/journalists and events to cover. Pattegree made his career on works on European Reformation and Renaissance, so that is must be the reason. Nevertheless, I expected more world events, I have to admit. So for me the title was misleading.
On the other hand, it is an informative and thorough book, and the knowledge of European history events of 15-18 centuries is a must to read it.
It is important to keep in mind, that the author describes the topic only from the perspective of leading European countries and just touching the US at some point. As if any other places/countries/continents do not exist and never exchanged the news, never had newspapers/journalists and events to cover. Pattegree made his career on works on European Reformation and Renaissance, so that is must be the reason. Nevertheless, I expected more world events, I have to admit. So for me the title was misleading.
On the other hand, it is an informative and thorough book, and the knowledge of European history events of 15-18 centuries is a must to read it.
March 5, 2023
A thorough, fascinating history of news and proto-news that traces the lineage of what we now call the modern media from its earlier predecessors of subscription information services, messenger services, postal services et al. It well-places each intermingled development in the appropriate political and technological contexts to understand why and how things have developed as they have. I didn't expect for instance to learn so much more about Lutheran politics going in, but it is just one of the many branches of knowledge offered in this most interesting piece. (It is, subsequently, quite long though and best read piecemeal).
January 8, 2026
The book is informative for readers who want to dig more into the history of newspapers and their role in the media landscape from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
The consideration of the other media and the analysis of the information context in relation to the newspapers make the book very useful for expanding the knowledge on the evolution of media.
As a person interested in journalism, I found the book accurate and indeed very instructive.
If it may be useful, except for some mentions to North America, the book focus is mostly on European media history.
The consideration of the other media and the analysis of the information context in relation to the newspapers make the book very useful for expanding the knowledge on the evolution of media.
As a person interested in journalism, I found the book accurate and indeed very instructive.
If it may be useful, except for some mentions to North America, the book focus is mostly on European media history.
December 24, 2020
3.5 stars. Did not finish, but I really enjoyed what I did read. This is not the driest nor most dense nonfiction book I’ve attempted to read, but it certainly was difficult to get through. Kudos to anyone who did. I recommend this book to any history nerds who are interested in how news developed.
I might try reading this book again, but in a different format. I think I might enjoy it better that way.
I might try reading this book again, but in a different format. I think I might enjoy it better that way.
September 19, 2022
As a retired journalist, and casual student of history I really enjoyed this book. It explains how news was provided in centuries past, particularly the Medieval through to the enlightenment.
If you have the most casual interest in politics and the news, I recommend this book. It will help you understand the lunacy of the social media / conspiracy theorist situation in which we now find ourselves.
If you have the most casual interest in politics and the news, I recommend this book. It will help you understand the lunacy of the social media / conspiracy theorist situation in which we now find ourselves.
July 2, 2025
My ratings of books on Goodreads are solely a crude ranking of their utility to me, and not an evaluation of literary merit, entertainment value, social importance, humor, insightfulness, scientific accuracy, creative vigor, suspensefulness of plot, depth of characters, vitality of theme, excitement of climax, satisfaction of ending, or any other combination of dimensions of value which we are expected to boil down through some fabulous alchemy into a single digit.
January 22, 2025
Almost TOO thorough!!! But if you are interested in the history of how information has been delivered
since the Middle Ages, this is the book. The authos goes into a lot of tangents - the tulip collapse in Holland - that do not seem very pertinent. But the chapter on the French Revolution is riveting, even for someone who thought she had read everything about those years that she wanted to know,
since the Middle Ages, this is the book. The authos goes into a lot of tangents - the tulip collapse in Holland - that do not seem very pertinent. But the chapter on the French Revolution is riveting, even for someone who thought she had read everything about those years that she wanted to know,
September 18, 2017
Pettegree has produced an informative book. He surveys the evolution of print media from private business and diplomatic dispatches into early newspapers. He also considers the origins of couriers and European postal services. The abundance of detail about the publications is balanced with stories about the creators and key events. Despite these positive attributes, a book about the transition from letter-writing to newspapers can't help but come across as a little dry and esoteric. Recommended only for historians of media and European 'enlightenment'.
December 27, 2020
This was heavy going. The author seems to lose his way in parts and thus his aim is not well articulated until near the end of the book. Could have been edited down to about half the size and it would have made a more compelling read.
July 8, 2024
tre stelle e non quattro perché anche se è stata una lettura piacevole (lunga però. molto lunga) continuava a darmi un terribile senso di deja vu, come se avesse detto le stesse cose con le stesse parole 40 pagine prima. forse sono io col cervello fuso però
July 26, 2018
Was hoping for a bit more out of this one, a bit of a slog. Interesting history in here but a bit more from North America would have made it better.
April 10, 2020
DNF Unreadable due to lack of context at every level: overall, chapter and paragraph.
June 1, 2021
3.5 stars
October 20, 2022
Interesting but a slow repetitive read for me...
November 23, 2022
The more things change the blah blah. Any new form of communication is always about two things control and advantage. It still is. Good read.
December 25, 2022
A fun jaunt through the history of news.
November 9, 2024
Started out much better than it ended.
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