"Upon its invention in the mid-1400s, the printing press . . . became a revolutionary device. It introduced literacy to the masses and led Europe out of the Middle Ages. This book explores the press' . . . history, the social and political conditions in place at the time Johannes Gutenberg invented it, and the changes the invention wrought afterward. It traces the evolution of moveable type and information dissemination up to modern electronic communications technology, examining the positive and negative effects of these developments, both in the past and on democracy and humankind"--Provided by publisher.
Printers played a major role in the American Revolution. They risked their careers and freedom for printing seditious ideas in their newspapers. Readers will discover how the printing press worked and how vital a printer was to the community.
Discusses the invention of mechanical printing, from its origins in China through Gutenberg to present technology, examining typography, graphic arts, paper, bookbinding, photography, and the cultural contexts of printing.
Explains the mechanics of the first printing press, invented in Germany by Gutenberg in the fifteenth century, and describes the press's revolutionary impact on the world.
