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A Short History of the Printed Word
This classic volume should find its place on every design student's bookshelf. Here is the history of the printed word, from the earliest alphabets through the evolution of the printing press. The contributions of the great printers and typographers are here. A new chapter by Robert Bringhurst takes up this history where Chappell put down his pen, covering the most recent developments in the printed word. Over 200 illustrations appear throughout.
244 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 25, 2009
A very fast and interesting read, though somewhat dense. Chappell moves through the history of printing fairly quickly. Information is arranged chronologically and logically, in order to tell the story. However, the presentation still makes it come across as well-organized facts and occasional anecdotes. So, at times, it can be a little dry. There are hints of interesting stories regarding the people, but these are sacrificed in favor of getting the facts straight. Regardless, I enjoyed it and think it could make for a good jumping off point to further explore further details.
November 24, 2012
Excellent Book on the history of books, paper, and printing.
This was the text used during my History of Books and Printing class in Grad School and it is so informational in a very readable and likable way. It does not read as a text book. I just had to get a copy for my own collection and research.
Reviewed on Amazon March 2, 2010
This was the text used during my History of Books and Printing class in Grad School and it is so informational in a very readable and likable way. It does not read as a text book. I just had to get a copy for my own collection and research.
Reviewed on Amazon March 2, 2010
June 20, 2010
I thought this would describe HOW the printed word has evolved over time - the mechanics of printing and typography. But it really just focuses on the WHO and the WHERE - who the major typographers and press owners were, where they operated, how they interacted, and what they printed. There are many images that show individual pages from prominent books across the ages, but I would have liked to see more how and more why or evaluations of printed pieces. Overall, this was a VERY boring read, and I won't recommend it for anyone else.
November 14, 2014
Lots of information on the history of printing complete with illustrations. Dated, however, as the book was written in 1970. All the important printers and illustrators are written about. Lots of names and styles. I love this stuff.
May 16, 2010
This is THE book for printing history. Why had I never heard of it before? Why? why?
It's excellently concise, well exampled and very readable. THE book.
It's excellently concise, well exampled and very readable. THE book.
July 8, 2023
It's difficult to rate this because on the one hand I know how influential it is to the field of book history, but on the other hand it was a bit of a dry read that I had to push through at times to finish. So 5 stars for influence and importance and 3 stars for enjoyment of reading averages out to 4 stars.
This was required reading for a Rare Book School class and is intended for a scholarly (but not necessarily academic) audience. It largely focuses on the history and evolution of typeface production and typesetting, but touches broadly on other aspects like printing equipment and tools, illustrative practices, and periodical printing. It is arranged in chronological chapters and reads like a who's who with names, dates, and geographical locations of prominent figures in printing, typeface development, illustration, and publishing in Western Europe and the United States.
I think I might have enjoyed it more if it spent additional time discussing the social, cultural, political, and economic impacts of book production and dissemination. This is only occasionally touched on, usually when there was a war or political censorship impacting the physical production of printing. I realize this wasn't the author's main purpose in writing this book and there are probably many other books I could read to learn more about those topics. Although I fear I'm, unlikely to retain a lot of the names and dates, this is a good foundational work and will be an excellent reference book to add to my collection.
This was required reading for a Rare Book School class and is intended for a scholarly (but not necessarily academic) audience. It largely focuses on the history and evolution of typeface production and typesetting, but touches broadly on other aspects like printing equipment and tools, illustrative practices, and periodical printing. It is arranged in chronological chapters and reads like a who's who with names, dates, and geographical locations of prominent figures in printing, typeface development, illustration, and publishing in Western Europe and the United States.
I think I might have enjoyed it more if it spent additional time discussing the social, cultural, political, and economic impacts of book production and dissemination. This is only occasionally touched on, usually when there was a war or political censorship impacting the physical production of printing. I realize this wasn't the author's main purpose in writing this book and there are probably many other books I could read to learn more about those topics. Although I fear I'm, unlikely to retain a lot of the names and dates, this is a good foundational work and will be an excellent reference book to add to my collection.
February 5, 2019
Short histories feel like going to a party and being introduced to all these people. In the moment you meet them you're very excited but after the party you can't really remember anyone's names. In spite of this, I'm glad I read this and I hope I retain any of the insight in this book.
June 23, 2021
A comprehensive and fluid history of the printing of books and the evolution of typography. Chappell and Bringhurst write about the subject with a fervor and devotion that is inspiring.
August 8, 2022
I have loved typography since college, learning to be a graphic designer. On a side note, I have wanted a letterpress all my adult life. The idea of creating the printed word with my own hands is so exciting and thrilling. When I saw this book, I wanted to know more about the history of the printed word. I wanted to learn more about the past, where typography came from, and where it is going. Instead, the book gave me a dry representation of history based only on the significant print presses and typographers. The book missed an opportunity to be more personable and exciting. Overall I was not a fan of this book at all.
May 31, 2023
The book contains a lot of information that went completely over my head, such as the intricate details of design fonts. The books used only words to describe printing processes, which limits the understanding somewhat. I still don’t understand what he exactly means by Lithograph. However there is a lot of big picture stuff, like how the World Wars impact printing, or how influential type fonts were in the spread of English, French, Spanish, etc., around the world.
The book contains a lot of great pictures of books and type, but the formatting is annoying, as the pictures would be added in mid-sentence, often within a paragraph that isn’t in reference to the example itself.
The book contains a lot of great pictures of books and type, but the formatting is annoying, as the pictures would be added in mid-sentence, often within a paragraph that isn’t in reference to the example itself.
September 8, 2018
A good overview of printing and book history, from Gutenberg up to the end of the 20th century. Covers printing, publishing, typography, illustration, and more, with plenty of illustrations. I wish there was a little more depth in the latter part of the book - it felt like a lot of book history was rushed past in the discussion of the 18th - 20th centuries.
December 31, 2018
This was my first read about the history of printing, outside of a high school history class. The book leaves many open questions, it stays true to its name of a short history and is a great introduction to be used toward future research.
May 9, 2017
This book nicely showcases how all of the advancements in printing developed. For example, you discover small details such as what the first types of paper were made of.
December 16, 2017
A good overview of the history of print. Great for an introduction to the subject.
December 6, 2024
For those interested in this topic perhaps this is a solid read. I had to read this for a class and found it extremely dry. Especially compared to other book printing articles we read for the course.
September 7, 2008
Like another reviewer, I felt the author droped a lot of names and dates....history, but very little analysis of the history....
I feel like I have a greater understanding of why type has certain characteristics, but that the book has givin me this information in a somewhat shallow form....
It could have been much more useful if, for instance, when speaking about calligraphers banding together to prevent printing from being able to take-off in the West for almost a century, it mentioned how they were able to do this, and why the state agreed with these calligraphers.....
I feel like I have a greater understanding of why type has certain characteristics, but that the book has givin me this information in a somewhat shallow form....
It could have been much more useful if, for instance, when speaking about calligraphers banding together to prevent printing from being able to take-off in the West for almost a century, it mentioned how they were able to do this, and why the state agreed with these calligraphers.....
January 18, 2016
I hated this book. It was so boring and confusing. I hardly understood what I read. I didn't actually even finish it. To make it all the more confusing, the book started leaving out ff, fi, and fl. So reading I would come across things such as di"erent (different) or in ential (influential). It took so much thought to just comprehend the word that the overall sentence lost meaning. I will NOT be finishing this or reading it again.
January 16, 2012
This well-written history was a quite useful source for me when writing my first novel, THE HERETIC, where my Jewish converso characters meet with Gutenberg, learn how to make a printing press and type, and become the earliest printers in 15th century Spain.
The Heretic
The Heretic
May 11, 2015
Interesting work on the history of printing; read for a class.
April 26, 2017
While it doesn't go into too much depth about anything (it is a short history, after all), it covers a lot of ground in printing history and includes a large number of illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews