To Copy, To Impress, To Distribute: The Start of European Printing
In order to distribute our thoughts and feelings, we must make intelligible and distributable copies of them. From approximately 1375 to 1450, certain Europeans started fully mechanized replication of texts and images, based on predecessor “smaller” technologies. What they started became the most po...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture
2019-12-01
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Series: | On_Culture |
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Online Access: | https://www.on-culture.org/journal/issue-8/copy-impress-distribute/ |
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author | Bennett Gilbert |
author_facet | Bennett Gilbert |
author_sort | Bennett Gilbert |
collection | DOAJ |
description | In order to distribute our thoughts and feelings, we must make intelligible and distributable copies of them. From approximately 1375 to 1450, certain Europeans started fully mechanized replication of texts and images, based on predecessor “smaller” technologies. What they started became the most powerful means for the distribution, storage, and retrieval of knowledge in history, up until the invention of digital means. We have scant information about the initiation of print technologies in the period up to Gutenberg, and the picture of Gutenberg that we have has become a great deal more complicated than hitherto. There has not been, however, an approach to the “pre-printing” period in terms of the history of idea or intellectual history. After a brief survey of established approaches, this essay argues that distribution by impression, or print, is bound up with ancient metaphors for understanding communication by the making of multiples. I suggest that there is a rich field of study for printing history in the sophisticated concepts of reality that medieval and late Scholastic philosophy developed. These concepts helped to express and develop a desire or need for communication that led to the technology of replicating texts and images for wide and continued distribution. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-21T19:59:50Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-2d6cdee0623e4c9892aeb9dee932727e |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2366-4142 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-21T19:59:50Z |
publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
publisher | International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture |
record_format | Article |
series | On_Culture |
spelling | doaj.art-2d6cdee0623e4c9892aeb9dee932727e2022-12-21T18:52:00ZengInternational Graduate Centre for the Study of CultureOn_Culture2366-41422019-12-018To Copy, To Impress, To Distribute: The Start of European PrintingBennett Gilbert0Portland State UniversityIn order to distribute our thoughts and feelings, we must make intelligible and distributable copies of them. From approximately 1375 to 1450, certain Europeans started fully mechanized replication of texts and images, based on predecessor “smaller” technologies. What they started became the most powerful means for the distribution, storage, and retrieval of knowledge in history, up until the invention of digital means. We have scant information about the initiation of print technologies in the period up to Gutenberg, and the picture of Gutenberg that we have has become a great deal more complicated than hitherto. There has not been, however, an approach to the “pre-printing” period in terms of the history of idea or intellectual history. After a brief survey of established approaches, this essay argues that distribution by impression, or print, is bound up with ancient metaphors for understanding communication by the making of multiples. I suggest that there is a rich field of study for printing history in the sophisticated concepts of reality that medieval and late Scholastic philosophy developed. These concepts helped to express and develop a desire or need for communication that led to the technology of replicating texts and images for wide and continued distribution.https://www.on-culture.org/journal/issue-8/copy-impress-distribute/book historyengravinghistory of communicationhistory of technologymedieval philosophyprinting |
spellingShingle | Bennett Gilbert To Copy, To Impress, To Distribute: The Start of European Printing On_Culture book history engraving history of communication history of technology medieval philosophy printing |
title | To Copy, To Impress, To Distribute: The Start of European Printing |
title_full | To Copy, To Impress, To Distribute: The Start of European Printing |
title_fullStr | To Copy, To Impress, To Distribute: The Start of European Printing |
title_full_unstemmed | To Copy, To Impress, To Distribute: The Start of European Printing |
title_short | To Copy, To Impress, To Distribute: The Start of European Printing |
title_sort | to copy to impress to distribute the start of european printing |
topic | book history engraving history of communication history of technology medieval philosophy printing |
url | https://www.on-culture.org/journal/issue-8/copy-impress-distribute/ |
work_keys_str_mv | AT bennettgilbert tocopytoimpresstodistributethestartofeuropeanprinting |