Introduction to Book History

Jillian Sparks, Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian

Introduction to Book History

Spread of Printing

10

Binding

09

Imposition

08

Type

07

Format

06

Paper

05

Parchment

04

The Hand Press Period

03

Gutenberg

02

Origins of Printing

01

Index

01

Before Gutenberg

China ca. 1045

Mainz 1436-1450

Invention of Moveable Type

Frontispiece, Diamond Sutra from Cave 17, Dunhuang, ink on paper. A page from the Diamond Sutra, printed in the 9th year of Xiantong Era of the Tang Dynasty, i.e. 868 CE. Currently located in the British Library, London. According to the British Library, it is “the earliest complete survival of a dated printed book”.

• Moveable type is invented in China 100s of years before Gutenberg, but we don’t see a transition to moveable type or engraving until the end of the 19th century
• Stele ink squeeze rubbings lead to xylographic printing
• Intense output of xylographic printed books during the Song period (960-1279)
• Printing calendars, almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias
• Woodblocks are able to replicate the calligraphic style

Printing in Asia

• 1200s Korea, the Goryeo dynasty commissioned a printer named Choe Yun-ui to reconstruct a woodblock print of the massive collection of ancient Buddhists texts called the Tipitaka after the Mongols burned the only Korean copy.
• By casting “individual characters in metal” and arranging them in a frame he was able to complete the project by 1250, 200 years before Gutenberg’s press.

Jikji: The Oldest Book Printed with Moveable Type

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The oldest extant text ever printed with movable type predates Gutenberg himself (born in 1400) by 23 years, and predates the printing of his Bible by 78 years. It is the Jikji, printed in Korea, a collection of Buddhist teachings by Seon master Baegun and printed in movable type by his students Seok-chan and Daijam in 1377.

Jikji

By http://www.sru.edu/depts/cisba/compsci/dailey/217students/sgm8660/Final/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31396

02

Gutenberg

• Gutenberg is not the first to invent moveable type, but he does introduce it to Europe
• invents the process for casting type, the metal alloy (tin, lead, and antimony), the ink used for printing books, molds for producing types, and the wooden printing press.
• In start up mode from 1439-1450 when Fust and Schöffer became his patrons
• 1455 completed 42-line Bible, about 180 were printed

Gutenberg's Invention

If you only watch one video, watch this one!

03

Hand press period 1450-1800

• 1450-1500 Incunabula Period—the birth of Western printing
• Printing stays the same for roughly 300 years
• Provides the terminology we still use to talk about books
• EVERYTHING is done by hand
• Casting type
• Setting type
• Printing
• Paper
• Binding
• Ink

Hand press period 1450-1800

04

Title: Parchment makerOriginal title: ParcheminierVolume and Page: Plates vol. 8 (1171)

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=did;cc=did;rgn=main;view=text;idno=did2222.0001.582

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55c0fed6e4b07793851799c2/55c2143fe4b0a109a2a2f6b3/55ce189fe4b08dd40c4a7a41/1439570079479/stretching.jpg?format=500w

Parchment

A brief walkthrough of how parchment is made.Pergamena in New York state makes some of the finest parchment and leather in the US. We have a full goat skin made by them in special collections. (pergamena.net)

Parchment Making Video

05

Title: Papermaking. Plate 1bOriginal title: Papeterie. Planche 1ere. bis.Volume and Page: Plates vol. 5 (1767)

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=did;cc=did;rgn=main;view=text;idno=did2222.0001.508

Papermaking

Details on the three-person vat team utilized for hand papermaking experiments by Tim Barrett and student co-workers at The University of Iowa Center for the Book. Reference is made to the possibility of making 1,500 or 2,000 sheets in a day, but no attempt was made in 2013. Direction and narration by Tim Barrett. Video content production by Avi Michael, Play Right Productions, 2013. This video accompanies others on related subjects. For more information visit http://paper.lib.uiowa.edu/epm

Chancery Papermaking Video

06

• The number of times the whole sheet of paper is folded determines the size of the book, which is called "format." The format of books produced by folding the whole sheet of paper once is called "folio," twice "quarto," and three times "octavo."
• You can trace the format of a book by looking at which way the chain lines are oriented and where the watermark is on the page.
• The format of a book is connected to how the type is imposed on the page.

one fold - folio

full sheet of paper

three folds - octavo

two folds - quarto

Format

07

• Gutenberg's major invention - the process for casting type.
• a punch is carved and used to create a matrix
• the matrix is placed in the mold and the mold is filled with molten metal
• the piece of type is thrown creating the piece of type and an extra conical shape of the jet. This is broken off and remelted to make more type

http://www.designhistory.org/Type_milestones_pages/images_typemilestones/gutenberg_typemaking.jpg

Type

Stan Nelson from the Atelier Press and Letterfoundry stars in 5 videos detailing how type is produced. The video to the right shows Stan casting type. See the info link for the full playlist.

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Casting Type Videos

Title: Letterpress printingOriginal title: Imprimerie en caractèresVolume and Page: Plates vol. 7 (1769)

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/did/did2222.0001.562/--letterpress-printing?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Setting Type

08

• The format of a book is directly linked to how the compositor imposed the type
• A printer must carefuly set the type so that when a sheet of paper is folded after printing, the text is in the right order.
• Signature marks were used to keep printed sheets in order for both printing and binding a book.
• Quarto example: 8 pages can be printed one sheet of paper
• Pamphlets were often printed on single sheets of paper - a cost effective way to spread your opinion

side 2

side 1

folded twice - quarto!

folded once (folio)

Imposition

Photos by Kristen A. Hartman Instagram @kristenahartman http://kristenahartman.com/

09

• quires or signatures are gathered together and sewn onto cords
• the cords are attached to a sewing frame to assist the sewer
• once attached to the cords the text block is laced through the cover boards or a limp vellum cover
• if through boards, the books is then covered in leather

Binding

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From 1450 to 1500 printing spreads across Europe

10

Spread of Printing

Aldus Manutius - Venice

Humanist scholar founded the Aldine Press in 1494 in Venice. Created Greek and italic typefaces and popularized the octavo or pocket book.

William Caxton - Westminster

Introduced the printing press to England in 1476. His printed works (Canterbury Tales, Morte D'Arthur, Aesop's Fables) and translations helped standardize English.

Nicholas Jenson - Venice

French engraver who invented the Roman typeface. In 1470 established his press in Venice and made it one of the greatest centers of printed material.

Other famous European printers

• The printing press made more copies of texts available and the book trade spread information throughout Europe.
• Introduced pamphlets and newspapers to spread information in new ways.
• Does not create perfect canonical texts. Printers introduce errors, spelling is non-standardized.
• No copyright! Pirated and forged texts are on the market. Martin Luther’s German translation of the bible was printed by pirates before he could!

Information Age

Handmade for 350 years