‘Johannes Gutenberg' Review: Print the Legend
The Gutenberg Bible ranks among the most prized of rare books, but within three centuries of its printing around 1455, its version of Scripture was considered obsolete and its creator, Johannes Gutenberg, was largely forgotten. Some 15 Gutenberg Bibles were even cut into pieces, their leaves recycled as wrappers for newer titles.
According to Eric Marshall White's 'Johannes Gutenberg: A Biography in Books,' not until the 18th century did scholars rediscover the German printer's pre-eminent role in creating Europe's first movable-type printing press. From there, his reputation soared. In 1900, in a letter commemorating the opening of a museum named for Gutenberg in his hometown of Mainz, Mark Twain wrote that 'Gutenberg's invention is incomparably the mightiest event that has ever happened in profane history.' One hundred years later, Gutenberg was declared the 'Man of the Millennium' by a number of media outlets.
Mr. White, the Scheide librarian at Princeton University, suggests that the pendulum swung too far. For one thing, it's well established that printing innovations in China and Korea long predated Gutenberg. Moreover, given that only a couple hundred different books had likely been published in Europe by the time of Gutenberg's 1468 death, the author is uncomfortable crediting him, as if he were more prophet than printer, with the media revolution that followed. Mr. White wryly notes that in Gutenberg's time the plague spread a lot faster than the printing press.
In this slim, authoritative volume, Mr. White centers his narrative on the works Gutenberg is known to have printed, including broadsides and indulgences that were used, in the author's words, to 'broadcast religious intolerance' and 'underwrite sectarian warfare.' Hagiography this is not.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cat café seeks trustee to support Ukrainian orphans
A soon-to-open Blandford cat café is seeking a trustee. The charitable project aims to provide a relaxing space where people can enjoy the company of cats, while also supporting a cause. All profits from the café will be donated to help Ukrainian orphans who have lost their parents in the ongoing conflict. The café, already supported by three trustees, requires one more to officially register as a charity. The funds raised will go directly towards providing the children with essential items such as household goods, clothing and footwear. A spokesperson for the café said: "At present, there are many children in urgent need of material support." The initiative hopes to attract compassionate individuals who are interested in making a tangible difference in the lives of these children. Those interested in becoming a trustee for the project can reach out to Julia Kobzarieva at flittingster@
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3 Premiere Date Set — Plus, Check Out the Trailer and… Was That a Kiss?!?
Just like when one door closes, another opens — or someone croaks, a walker rises — as one season ends, another begins. During Sunday's Season 2 finale of the Negan-and-Maggie-centric Walking Dead: Dead City, AMC dropped a trailer for Season 3 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — and revealed that the fifth spinoff in the franchise would return on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 9/8c. Per the show's official logline, 'Season 3, which filmed in Spain, will follow Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) as they continue their journey to somehow return home and to the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the walker apocalypse.' More from TVLine What to Watch This Week: 30+ Premieres, Finales and More Save the Dates: Sinners to Stream on Max, The Summer I Turned Pretty Rollout Plan and More Shrinking EP Tees Up Brett Goldstein and Cobie Smulders' Returns, Michael J. Fox and Jeff Daniels' Season 3 Arcs Every Walking Dead Series, Ranked View List You'll recall that by the end of the Season 2 finale (recapped here), Clémence Poésy's Isabelle, Adam Nagaitis' Quinn, Anne Charrier's Genet, Joel de la Fuente's Losang, Nassima Benchicou's Jacinta… OK, basically almost everyone who wasn't Daryl or Carol was dead. At least Louis Puech Scigliuzzi's Laurent made it out alive, taking off with Manish Dayal's Ash to return to the States. To watch the trailer, which includes what looks like an altogether unexpected kiss, press PLAY on the video above. Then keep scrolling below to get a sneak peek at the new cast members and more.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Johnny Depp Says ‘I Was a Crash Test Dummy for #MeToo' and ‘I Didn't Feel Nervous' Facing Off Against Amber Heard in Court: ‘I'll Fight Until the Bitter F—ing End'
Johnny Depp called himself a 'crash test dummy for #MeToo' in a sprawling new interview with The Sunday Times as he sets out to promote the U.K. theatrical release of his latest directorial effort, 'Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness.' Depp was referring to the allegations first leveled at him in 2016 by ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of domestic violence when she filed for divorce. Heard's allegations notably fed into two trials that garnered global attention. Depp brought a libel lawsuit against The Sun in 2018 after the publication referred to him as a 'wife beater.' The trial kicked off in summer 2020 and ended with the court determining that the characterization of Depp as a 'wife beater' was 'substantially true.' Later in the year, Depp exited Warner Bros.' 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise after saying the studio asked him to resign from the role in the aftermath of the trial. More from Variety How France's #MeToo Movement Is Transforming Cannes and the Country's Film Industry: 'The Conditions Under Which Work Is Produced Matter' Johnny Depp Returns to Hollywood as 'Day Drinker' Starts Filming; Lionsgate Drops First Look at Thriller Co-Starring Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline Corey Feldman Claims Johnny Depp Got Him Out of 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape': 'He Said I Was a Junkie and He Didn't Work With Junkies' A second and even more highly-publicized trial took place in the U.S. in 2022 after Depp sued Heard in 2019 for defamation over an op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post in which she referred to herself as 'a figure representing domestic abuse.' The 2022 trial was live-streamed on YouTube and became an online sensation. The jury ultimately ruled that Heard did defame Depp in the op-ed, while also ruling Depp defamed Heard in the course of fighting back against her charges. Over the course of the trial, shocking details about Depp and Heard's personal lives were revealed. 'Look, it had gone far enough,' Depp told The Sunday Times about the viral 2022 trial. 'I knew I'd have to semi-eviscerate myself. Everyone was saying, 'It'll go away!' But I can't trust that. What will go away? The fiction pawned around the fucking globe? No it won't. If I don't try to represent the truth it will be like I've actually committed the acts I am accused of. And my kids will have to live with it. Their kids. Kids that I've met in hospitals. So the night before the trial in Virginia I didn't feel nervous. If you don't have to memorize lines, if you're just speaking the truth? Roll the dice.' Depp said he survived 'all the hit pieces, the bullshit' that accompanied the trial, adding: 'Look, none of this was going be easy, but I didn't care. I thought, 'I'll fight until the bitter fucking end.' And if I end up pumping gas? That's all right. I've done that before.' A few years after the end of the U.S. trial, Depp is now getting the chance to come back to Hollywood by starring opposite 'Blow' co-star Penelope Cruz in the Lionsgate action comedy 'Day Drinker.' He told the Times about his life: 'I have no regrets about anything — because, truly, what can we do about last week's dinner? Not a fucking thing.' 'Day Drinker' is scheduled to release in theaters sometime in 2026. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
