The Book in the Renaissance

A groundbreaking study of the fascinating, yet largely unknown world of books in the first great age of print, 1450–1600 The dawn of print was a major turning point in the early modern world. It rescued ancient learning from obscurity, transformed knowledge of the natural and physical world, and brought the thrill of book ownership to the masses. But, as Andrew Pettegree reveals in this work of great historical merit, the story of the post-Gutenberg world was rather more complicated than we have often come to believe. The Book in the Renaissance reconstructs the first 150 years of the world of print, exploring the complex web of religious, economic, and cultural concerns surrounding the printed word. From its very beginnings, the printed book had to straddle financial and religious imperatives, as well as the very different requirements and constraints of the many countries who embraced it, and, as Pettegree argues, the process was far from a runaway success. More than ideas, the success or failure of books depended upon patrons and markets, precarious strategies and the thwarting of piracy, and the ebb and flow of popular demand. Owing to his state-of-the-art and highly detailed research, Pettegree crafts an authoritative, lucid, and truly pioneering work of cultural history about a major development in the evolution of European society.

About the Author :
Andrew Pettegree is Head of the School of History at the University of St. Andrews and founding director of the St. Andrews Reformation Studies Institute.

Review :
Selected by New York Times Book Review as a Best Book Since 2000 “[Pettegree] offers a radically new understanding of printing in the years of its birth and youth.”—Robert Pinsky, New York Times Book Review “[A] fine new study.”—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker “Pettegree’s book has a clear and solid structure. . . . There is so much to enjoy here.”—Martin Davies, Times Literary Supplement “[A] remarkable book.”—Christopher Hawtree, The Independent “Its cornucopia of information is well managed and engagingly written up.”—Holly Kyte, Sunday Telegraph “[A] splendid book . . . an engrossing and sure-footed story.”—Fernando Cervantes, The Tablet “[A] lively work.”—Christopher Hirst, The Independent  “Pettegree has written the perfect book for the bibliophile.”—Alistair Mabbott, The Herald (Glasgow) “One of the most significant library-related books I have ever read in many a year; I cannot recommend it highly enough.”—Norman D. Stevens, RBM Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011 in the General category Winner of the 2011 Phyllis Goodhart Gordon Book Prize, presented by the Renaissance Society of America “An authoritative, innovative and succinct account of one of the most fundamental issues in Renaissance history, the role of the printed book.”—Henry Kamen