Gutenberg’s Fingerprint: A Book Lover Bridges the Digital Divide

by Merilyn Simonds

An intimate narrative exploring the past, present, and future of books

Four seismic shifts have rocked human communication: the invention of writing, the alphabet, mechanical type and the printing press, and digitization. Poised over this fourth transition, e-reader in one hand, perfect-bound book in the other, Merilyn Simonds — author, literary maven, and early adopter — asks herself: what is lost and what is gained as paper turns to pixel?

Gutenberg’s Fingerprint trolls the past, present, and evolving future of the book in search of an answer. Part memoir and part philosophical and historical exploration, the book finds its muse in Hugh Barclay, who produces gorgeous books on a hand-operated antique letterpress. As Simonds works alongside this born-again Gutenberg, and with her son to develop a digital edition of the same book, her assumptions about reading, writing, the nature of creativity, and the value of imperfection are toppled.

Gutenberg’s Fingerprint is a timely and fascinating book that explores the myths, inventions, and consequences of the digital shift and how we read today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, History, Canada, Memoir

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2017

About the author

Merilyn Simonds is the author of 18 books, including the novel The Holding, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and the Canadian classic nonfiction novel, The Convict Lover, a finalist for the Governor General's Award. In 2017, Project Bookmark Canada unveiled a plaque to honour the place of The Convict Lover in Canada’s literary landscape.

Simonds’ short fiction is anthologized internationally and her books are published in the UK, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. In 2012 she published The Paradise Project, a collection of flash fiction hand-printed on an antique press with endpapers made from plants in her garden. The experience of producing the collection in both a digital and book-arts edition is the subject of Gutenberg’s Fingerprint: Paper, Pixels, and the Lasting Impression of Books. Her most recent publication is Refuge, a novel set in Mexico City, New York, and eastern Ontario.

Simonds writes a blog—Books Unpacked—on her website merilynsimonds.com. She shares her life with writer Wayne Grady. They divide their time between Mexico and Canada.

Reviews

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Gutenberg's Fingerprint' by Merilyn Simonds

4 stars/ 8 out of 10

I was attracted to this nonfiction book by the description provided by the publisher, and I was not disappointed.

I found this book by Merilyn Simonds to be an interesting mixture. It is part memoir, part informational and historical, part musings. Simonds looks in turn at paper, type, ink and press; and explains and examines the importance of each of these in the process of producing the final version of a book. She follows each of these through historically; from the centuries before Gutenberg and his printing press, right up to the digital production of reading material.

I learnt a lot from reading this book, and it also raised many interesting questions that I am still pondering. Parts that especially stick in my mind include: the making of endpapers using plants from Simonds' garden, the reasons why paper took over from vellum, the whole section about ink (including e-ink and LCD displays), the fascinating history of colophons, bookbinding etc etc.

Having found this book to be an interesting and informative read, I will now be looking to obtain copies of some of the other books that Merilyn Simonds has written.

Thank you to ECW Press and to NetGalley for an ARC.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received to review via Netgalley; publication date 11th April 2017

This is more of a personal memoir than I expected, somehow; with a title that references the digital divide (a common term for the social problems arising from the rich having computer access and the poorer being denied opportunities because they don’t) and Gutenberg, I expected something else. Instead I got something meditative, which deals with book creation and paper-making from a very personal perspective. And, it turns out, Simonds isn’t talking about the same digital divide I was thinking about — it just means the gap between print and digital, and digital books being here to stay now.

So not the book I was hoping for, but it’s not a bad meditation on books and paper and making things. The prose is evocative and the musing interesting, just… much more personally focused than I expected from a book with this in the blurb: “Poised over this fourth transition, e-reader in one hand, perfect-bound book in the other, Merilyn Simonds — author, literary maven, and early adopter — asks herself: what is lost and what is gained as paper turns to pixel?”

Oh, and if you’re interested in the history of the book, Keith Houston’s The Book might be more what you’re looking for.

Originally posted on my blog.

[Jenna (Falling Letters) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published 10 April 2017 at Falling Letters. I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

In 2011, author Merilyn Simonds partnered with Hugh Barclay, the one-man wonder behind Thee Hellbox Press, to produce a limited run of The Paradise Project. Simonds agreed to the printing at Barclay’s urging. He wanted to print a collection of her short stories. Barclay introduces Simonds to the finer details of book printing, which she explores in Gutenberg’s Fingerprints. In following the development and creation of The Paradise Project, Simonds describes the history of book making. She also reflects on what has (and hasn’t) changed with the shift to digital books, as she and her son work on creating an ebook of The Paradise Project.

Four sections of the book focus on stages of a book’s creation – paper, type, ink, and press. Barclay is the star of these pages. His enthusiastic and creative personality bring the task to life. He is a tinkerer full of ideas, with the intelligence and ambition to bring those ideas to fruition. In Barclay’s small printing workshop, each stage is given careful consideration. What colour should the ink of be? What impression will the endpapers give? How will the type be set? How can images be incorporated?

Simonds explains the complexities that inventors throughout history had to be overcome to make each element work together and produce a legible book. Most of her exploration focuses on the print run of The Paradise Project. Simonds also includes comments to contrast the development of the ebook, a format which has both pros and cons over a printed book. The Paradise Project sounds like a lovely work of art. I would to get my hands on a copy, to see and feel all the care that went into making it. Gutenberg’s Fingerprints includes a few black and white photographs, but they don’t do the work justice. You can view full colour images of the completed work at Thee Hellbox Press website.

Simonds delves further into reflection in the final two sections, “Book” and “Lasting Impressions”. I found her balanced view of ebooks refreshing. Simonds loves her physical books, as many of us book lovers do, but she does not deny the advantages of ebooks. She goes beyond acknowledging the practicalities of digital reading (such as being able to carry numerous books or customize the formatting for reading comfort). For example, she notes that more voices in publishing (via digital self-publishing) cannot be a negative thing. She discusses the potential of ebooks to make a wider variety of stories available to a wider variety of people. Simonds quotes Kamila Shamsie:

Are we hearing all the complex, nuanced human voices we need to help us understand our own times, our fellow citizens, the world in which we live? No. But we could. And we must. And that should be publishing’s bottom line. (341)

Yet physical books (for Simonds, at least) easily win in the debate about superiority. I have never heard someone put it so clearly or simply than when she writes, “We are more than brains: we have ears, noses, fingertips, all of which engage with a physical book” (351). What sparks that particular feeling of joy we may find when we gaze happily at our bookshelves?

My books are my brain and my heart made visible. (366)

The Bottom Line: Simonds chronicles the exquisite print run and ebook development of her short story collection The Paradise Project. Gutenberg’s Fingerprints gives book lovers food for thought as to what it is we love about physical books and what digital books have to offer us. Simonds leaves no doubt that print books will likely endure, but does leave room to ponder – what may come next?

[DeB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the history on print making and how digital “print” has been created and is constantly evolving, trying to achieve the superior properties of the actual printed word... (not altogether successfully because flipping a page simply isn’t tactile, print reading is speedier, lighting issues for ebooks is a challenge because of multiple formats etc.). But I kind of drowned in the details of the author's personal memoir, which is really my problem. The book is very organic, loosely moving from one point in time- Gutenberg- to people in the author's life journey in their points in space and time; all compelling but I needed something more structurally straightforward. I guess I got a bit bored and I’m sorry... just stopped reading, floundered and couldn’t return.

I anticipated less personal memoir, and unfortunately, that is exactly what stalled me and moored me eventually.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chanced upon this on the library and it was an immediate borrow for me! Gutenberg’s Fingerprint is a story about how a book is made and the history of books (and ebooks).

Gutenberg’s Fingerprint starts when Marilyn teams up with Hugh, from Three Hellbox Press, to publish a limited edition run of her collection of flash fiction called The Paradise Project.

As Marilyn digs deep into the process of making a book - from making the paper to typesetting to stitching the papers together - she talks about the history of the book. At the same time, she’s preparing an ebook version of The Paradise Project, which gives her opportunities to muse about ebooks and the future of books.

Merilyn is clearly passionate about books, both as an object and for the things they mean. When she talked about picking a font, I started getting interested even though I’m normally a default font kind of person (although I admit that I like to write in Garamond).

She’s also even-handed about ebooks too. While she loves the printed word, she also talks about the advantages of ebooks as well.

That said, she’s not very accurate when it comes to self-publishing. The stats she cites are those that don’t include Amazon, although it would have been easy enough for her to go to Author Earnings (and the book was published in 2017 so the data should have been available when she wrote it).

Plus, she makes the claim that it’s harder to survive as a writer now when a quick look at people like Mark Dawson, Joanna Penn, or even the people at Kboards make a convincing case that it is, in fact, easier than ever to make a living as a writer.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. This book is basically an exploration of the book with a fellow bibliophile, making it a very fun read. I’m glad I read this in the printed form too.

This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that will make you change how you look at books. How you feel them and hear them. There was even a moment of pause where I put my nose to the paper and smelled it, for it would have seemed wrong to not smell it. Merilyn Simonds’ language is tasty, chewy, making you want to read each word aloud. The book itself is beautiful; it feels healthy and well-cared for in my hands. Turning each page feels like I’m folding sugar into homemade butter. Gutenberg’s Fingerprint: A Book Lover Bridges the Digital Divide is non-fiction, but is it a memoir? Maybe. To me it’s a history, Shakespearean in scale, but firmly rooted in a smart, organized, and oftentimes funny present-day parable. A study in the material, Gutenberg’s Fingerprint is circular and all-encompassing, but lets the reader stretch his paper, ink, type, and book queries and imaginings beyond the confines of the page. All I wish is that I had a copy of The Paradise Project, the central subject of this book – it’s an unavoidable tease throughout, knowing that you won’t ingest the labour detailed by Simonds (maybe I will have to go the route of the ebook). If you want a companion piece to this book, I recommend Simonds’ Books UnPacked Blog: http://merilynsimonds.com/books-unpac.... These are the Appendices, as I would like to think.

[Steven Buechler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simonds’ thoughts here go off into wonderful tangents at times, which truly reflect the thoughts and wants of true book fans. This book is a reflection of what many of us think and want from our reading materials right now without being too scientific or deeply philosophical.

http://tinyurl.com/lzbv8sa

[Amanda Bright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read with lots of small details you might not have known

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool! This is all about the history of books from paper and ink, press to binding, and now to digital. A local Kingston author makes it all the more enjoyable with the progression of a handmade book of her stories interspersed with places I know. :)

[Tanya Neumeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much and I adore Hugh and am grateful Merilyn wrote this!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Occasionally I pull a book from the shelf in my local public library's new books shelves and think to myself, "this looks like something I should like to read." But will I?

Once again, the sub-title in Goodreads doesn't correspond with what I have in hand - what I see is "Paper, Pixels, and the Lasing Impression of Books." That sub-title, more than the title "Gutenberg's Fingerprint" drew my interest. I'm not sure "A Book Lover Bridges the Digital Divide" would have - and I don't think that is particularly accurate, anyway! More like, "examines the digital divide" (in publishing, and reading).

I'm a librarian. I occasionally read books that are about books and publishing, but I don't go out of my way looking for such things - I like to spend most of my book-reading time on books I read for pleasure, not as a work-related or work-supporting activity. Still, I was surprised to be drawn in by this and to read it to the end without thinking of putting it aside in favor of something else.

Most of the book is structured around the chronological creation of a letter-press published book that Simonds authored and then had printed, broken into chapters named, "Paper," "Type," "Ink," and so on. Her web site describes the book here: https://merilynsimonds.com/gutenbergs-fingerprint.html and the printer/publisher who she worked with has some interesting information here: https://merilynsimonds.com/gutenbergs-fingerprint.html. There is plenty of discussion of the history of book publishing worked in among telling about how this particular came into existence.

Interesting, the almost handmade book that was for sale for $150 could also be purchased as an eBook for $10 - and aspects of how that came to be are worked in with the production of paper book. The contrast of two production processes are the basis for discussion of many other contrasting aspects of book publishing today, as paper books appear to be declining in significance in favor or digital books. The last section of the book is not connected as much with the production process of a particular book and is more an epilogue of more general ruminations the future of "the book," whatever that may turn out to be.

I gave this five stars because I was well engaged and enjoyed the book from start to finish.

As a librarian, I have one minor quibble. OK, maybe two. I was a little amused by the lack of discussion of public or academic libraries (rather than personal libraries) throughout. The one spot where they are clearly discussed, 364 pages into a 374 page books, is to bring up OverDrive, a for-profit company vendor that sells digital access to a collection of eBooks to libraries as providing a "free service" - yes, it is free for validated library patrons (or as she calls them, members) but the cost to libraries that they pay to OverDrive is significant. OverDrive is a business, owned by Rakuten, and is primarily motivated to make profits. While in general the summary approach to many issues that the author used when touching on subjects that could justify much longer discussion, this seemed too abbreviated and either misleading or not sufficient to make a useful point (or both). Oh well, this is probably just me being picky.

[Cathy Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very illuminating. It details the steps involved in the publishing of the book "The Paradise Project" written by the author. The details involved in preparing to publish are more numerous than most suspect. These include the paper used - the body and the endpaper (hand made with fibers from the author's garden!), the typeface chosen and its size, the ink - both kind and color, the specific arrangement of text and accompanying illustrations (margins, gutters, etc.), the press used to imprint the words (in this case it was all done by hand on a letterpress). The author also touched on the final assembling in the binding process and the book launch itself. In the discussion of these topics the author delves into the history of the written word though time and the changes as new innovations occurred right up to today's digital forms of communication. Reading this gives me a whole new appreciation for the books I house in my numerous bookshelves/cases. Anyone wanting to delve more deeply into the actual process would definitely have their eyes opened!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed this book. Part reflection on the part of the author, part description of how a book gets published from start to finish, and many anecdotes about the history of books and printing. Parts were really interesting, and parts were of no interest to me. There are a lot of interesting tidbits, worth reading for these.
The author describes the printing process for her book "The Paradise Project" which was uniquely and carefully hand-produced (though a printing press was used to produce the pages). The finished book is a work of art that, at time of publishing, was $150 according to the author.
Many subjects are touched upon, whether in relation to printing her book, or generally speaking. For instance, the section on fonts was really interesting, the names of parts of a book and how the spines might be put together, and of some interest to me, the additional concerns and challenges to producing an e-book.

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The author collected some stories she’d written and decided to publish them in an old-style way: hand made paper and an old-style printing press where the type is set by hand, etc. This documents that procedure along with plenty of history of paper, ink, type, the printing press, and much much more. It also looks at how she (and her son) created the ebook, and the last chapters of the book talk about the history of ereaders and ebooks.

This was interesting. It took me back to my “History of the Book” class in library school when we did field trips to learn to make paper, then we later went to a printing press where we hand set the type and printed our names on our paper that we’d already made. The modern technology was also interesting to read about. It’s not fast paced or “can’t put the book down” kind of read, but it was definitely interesting to read about all those things.

[Anastasia Pereira · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an avid reader, both Books in print and e-Books hold dear places in my life. I enjoyed some aspects of the history of making 'books' and the evolution from Printing Press to E-Readers. At times interesting and insightful but other times it felt like a bit of a chore to get through. Sometimes the chapters would get lost in too many details and I found the subject matter would get boring. As much as I love books, what draws me is the art of storytelling and the topic of a story. Learning about how books are produced… not as exciting. Much of the book is about how her work 'The Paradise Project' was published. The whole process sounds like a labour of love and I would be curious to see this book in print as it must be a beautifully bound book and a work of art. Rating this as 2.5.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of "Gutenberg's Finger Print" by Merilyn Simonds through the "Good Reads First Reads Giveaway."

Since I am a lover of books, I was drawn to the title of this book. Fortunately, the ease with which the author writes makes a relatively dry subject interesting and informative. This book is well written, with historic information.

I never understood the effort and options involved in printing a book, but now I know more about the works lining my book shelves. After reading this book, you will find everything you wanted to know and more about printing .

The author concludes with a serious discussion about the future of E-Books verses the printed book.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part history, this book recounts parallel narratives: the process by which the author and her publisher produce an "artisanal" book, and the histories of the components of a book (namely written words, paper, ink, the printing press and books). It is a fascinating read. Obviously well researched, theauthor manages enough detail in the histories to educate,without yielding to the temptation to over-inform.
The personal narrative gives a. real-life example of the larger concepts presented in the history.

In all,a well balanced and intriguing read.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to all bibliophiles, and cultural historians - for you this is a must-read! Simonds has done a wonderful job of marrying some history of writing, books, and printing, with a chronicle of what sounds like an amazingly beautiful book called "The Paradise Project". Simonds pulled me right into Gutenberg's Fingerprint; I could not put it down. I hope everyone who has ever wondered about how books came to be and where they are going will read this.

[Joel Kimmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the history of books, printing, and everything involved including the ink, paper, binding, codex, typefaces, etc... As someone with experience with letterpress printing and a love for art supplies, ink and paper, it was nice to read about the history of those things, and the processes involved in making a handmade book. I enjoyed the personal stories as well, and the thoughts about the history of publishing, the future of paper books and ebooks.

[Christina Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was about half way through this book when it became almost impossible to ignore the desire to make a book again...not just a blank book, but to select, design, and bind a book. Even if you aren't a lapsed bookbinder I think you'll enjoy this meditation of the diversity of form and format the written word takes and what that means for us as readers.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was well written and engaging, but definitely more of a personal narrative than I expected. I had been hoping for more of a history or exploration of the concept printing books. While both these elements were definitely touched upon throughout, I would have preferred less focus on the printing process of her own book and the various people important in the process.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful to learn how a hand-printed book is being published. The author shares it nicely with personal stories, some history and not too technical that it bores you. Makes me want to read the other works of the author. Bibliophiles will enjoy this.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 stars. I did find the processes of making a book by hand interesting parts did seem to drag at times.

[Matt Heavner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best quote to sum up this book "I love books" - this is a well written, interesting narrative of creating a book, and thought provoking look at the changing technology of books.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 for sure

[Skyler Mlotek-Marion · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very boring wander through the loose narrative of printmaking with a lot of historic printmaking tangents.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a galley proof of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Fascinating! If you are interested in literature, publishing, reading, or creativity in the digital age, you will enjoy this book.
The author explores creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, and yes, literature.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite nonfiction subject is publishing. I love reading about the history of books and how they are printed. I was so excited to have the opportunity to get an ARC of Gutenberg’s Fingerprint from ECW Press.

Merilyn Simonds writes about the process of publishing her book The Paradise Project, a collection of flash-fiction stories. She chose to have this book printed by Thee Hellbox Press, a small press in Kingston run by Hugh Barclay. Hugh is very particular about his printing, so he took good care of Merilyn’s book. He involved her in the whole process, from setting the type, mixing the ink, and printing the proofs. The endpapers were even created using the flowers from her garden!

Throughout her story of the creation of her book, Merilyn gives some history on how ink and paper are made. These stories made me smile, reminding me of my book history course in university.

The irony that I was reading a book about the history of printing on an ereader was not lost on me. Merilyn created a digital edition of The Paradise Project with her son, Erik. She discusses how ebooks have changed the publishing industry, but print books aren’t going anywhere soon. Printing has evolved from scribes writing on vellum to machines stamping ink on paper to pixels appearing on a screen. Technology is still evolving the way books are delivered to the reader, but it couldn’t be done without Gutenberg’s press.