
The Fifteenth-Century Book
The Scribes, the Printers, the Decorators
Curt F. Buehler(Author)
University of Pennsylvania Press
Published on 29. January 1960
Book
Hardback
200 pages
978-1-5128-0096-8 (ISBN)
Description
The fifteenth century, one of the most curious and confused periods in recorded history, witnessed amazing developments in the printing industry and in the production of books. The present volume surveys the history of the manufacture of books throughout the fifteenth century, whether written by hand or produced by the press, and points out that both methods faced very similar problems and found almost identical solutions for them.
Actually, the fifteenth century itself saw no material difference between manuscripts and incunabula (fifteenth-century printings), and regarded the latter simply as codices produced by "a new method of artificial writing." Curt F. BUEhler discusses the impact of the epoch-making invention on the scribes as well as the attitudes that the contemporary book-lovers adopted toward the products of the press.
The author also studies the types of men who were attracted to the new industry and the nature of the books that they believed to be readily vendible. In addition, certain familiar beliefs regarding the history of the early presses are challenged, and possible solutions are presented for the problems are still imperfectly understood.
To illustrate the text, beautiful reproductions of illuminated manuscript pages, printed pages, colophons, woodcut illustration, and early typefaces have been included. The author's discussion of the decoration in books is not so much a study in the fine arts but, rather, an analysis of the types of volumes which lent themselves to decoration, and the various forms of such work.
Actually, the fifteenth century itself saw no material difference between manuscripts and incunabula (fifteenth-century printings), and regarded the latter simply as codices produced by "a new method of artificial writing." Curt F. BUEhler discusses the impact of the epoch-making invention on the scribes as well as the attitudes that the contemporary book-lovers adopted toward the products of the press.
The author also studies the types of men who were attracted to the new industry and the nature of the books that they believed to be readily vendible. In addition, certain familiar beliefs regarding the history of the early presses are challenged, and possible solutions are presented for the problems are still imperfectly understood.
To illustrate the text, beautiful reproductions of illuminated manuscript pages, printed pages, colophons, woodcut illustration, and early typefaces have been included. The author's discussion of the decoration in books is not so much a study in the fine arts but, rather, an analysis of the types of volumes which lent themselves to decoration, and the various forms of such work.
More details
Series
Edition
Reprint 2016 edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Pennsylvania
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paper over boards
Illustrations
15 illus.
15 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
467 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5128-0096-8 (9781512800968)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2016
1st Edition
University of Pennsylvania Press
€220.99
Available for download
Person
Curt F. Buhler was Keeper of Printed Books at the Pierpont Morgan Library. He is the author of William Caxton and His Critics and Fifteenth Century Books and the Twentieth Century.