Removable Type: Histories of the Book in Indian Country, 1663-1880

by Phillip H. Round

In 1663, the Puritan missionary John Eliot, with the help of a Nipmuck convert whom the English called James Printer, produced the first Bible printed in North America. It was printed not in English but in Algonquian, making it one of the first books printed in a Native language. In this ambitious and multidisciplinary work, Phillip Round examines the relationship between Native Americans and printed books over a two-hundred-year period, uncovering the individual, communal, regional, and political contexts for Native peoples' use of the printed word. From the northeastern woodlands to the Great Plains, Round argues, alphabetic literacy and printed books mattered greatly in the emergent, transitional cultural formations of indigenous nations threatened by European imperialism.

Removable Type showcases the varied ways that Native peoples produced and utilized printed texts over time, approaching them as both opportunity and threat. Surveying this rich history, Round addresses such issues as the role of white missionaries and Christian texts in the dissemination of print culture in Indian Country, the establishment of national publishing houses by tribes, the production and consumption of bilingual texts, the importance of copyright in establishing Native intellectual sovereignty (and the sometimes corrosive effects of reprinting thereon), and the significance of illustrations.

Genres: History, Books About Books, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2010

Reviews

[Ai Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting look at the materiality (versus the direct content) of the book in Indian country. Round does really careful good work to navigate the role of the book in communities and its impact, paying really good attention to specificity. My favorite chapters were the ones talking about proprietary authorship and reprinting--I thought those were so interesting and I'd love really to explore more the notion of trademarking something for a nation but held in one's name. The chapter about illustration was also fascinating. Overall a really good book I'd definitely recommend to folks who are interested in the history of the book and its contested role in colonization!

[Ex Libris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book, it never really came together as anything particularly interesting and I gave up about halfway through.