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Look at this book! If it had been published 600 years ago it would have been copied out by hand by a scribe in a monastery and probably would have taken months to produce. But thanks to Johann Gutenberg, in the fifteenth century modern printing was born and nowadays it can take only a few seconds to print a book. Gutenberg invented the printing press as well as a new type of ink and a new way to cast type. Open this book to learn the incredible story of Johann Gutenberg and the history of early printing and publishing. Bruce Koscielniak has crafted an informative and entertaining book (and we printed thousands of copies!) about one of the most important inventions of all time. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
If a book was published 600 years ago, it would have been copied out by hand by a scribe in a monastery and probably would have taken months to produce. But thanks to Johann Gutenberg in the fifteenth century, modern printing was born and nowadays it can take only a few seconds to print a book. Gutenberg invented the printing press as well as a new type of ink and a new way to cast type.
Learn the incredible story of Johann Gutenberg and the history of early printing and publishing.
Bruce Koscielniak is the author and illustrator of several books for children; he is also a musician who has played the violin and jazz guitar for many years. He lives in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts.
Gr 2-5-With an emphasis on Gutenberg and his work, this easy-to-read and
informative text explores the history of printing, from the invention of paper
in China in the year 105 to the development of different types in the late
1400s. Watercolor illustrations are both detailed and entertaining.
Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
The title notwithstanding, Koscielniak (The Story of the Incredible Orchestra)
offers not so much a history of the printing press as a history of the book
itself. Less than half the pages are devoted to Gutenberg, about whom little
is known, and who died in 1468. Koscielniak camouflages this gap with
imaginative evocations of the printing pioneer's workrooms and by emphasizing
his technological innovations: an easier way to make metal type, better ink
and a press that applied pressure evenly. A long background section explains
printing and paper development, beginning in second-century China (passages
such as "Pi Sheng, a Chinese printer, had the idea to use separate,
coin-thin, fired-clay characters, which were pasted with tree resin and wax in
rows on an iron plate" may confuse younger readers, despite abundant
illustrations). The book's own blocks of print are surrounded by a wealth of
spirited, loosely drawn ink-and-watercolor spot illustrations, colored with
pleasingly muted shades and accompanied by enthusiastic explanatory notes ("A
willow or other stick cut with a flat tip can be used with ink to produce
Gothic-style writing. Try it!"). The discussion of the specifics of
book-making, from compositing type to sewing together signatures, may be too
densely detailed for some, but motivated readers will come away with an
understanding of the general process and with an appreciation for the man
saluted at the end as "Mr. G." Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed
Business Information.
“The book’s own blocks of print are surrounded by a wealth of spirited, loosely drawn ink-and-watercolor spot illustrations, colored with pleasingly muted shades and accompanied by enthusiastic explanatory notes.” Publishers Weekly
“The art and practicality of bookmaking get an attractive treatment in this fully illustrated volume, which provides a clear, concise history up to the time of Gutenberg’s press.” Booklist, ALA
"This neatly balanced account earns its shelf space anywhere books are important." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Availability: Only 2 in stock - order soon! Additional quantities may be backordered.
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