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The Gutenberg Revolution: How Printing Changed the Course of History Paperback – International Edition, May 1, 2010

by John Man (Author)
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In 1450, all Europe's books were handcopied and amounted to only a few thousand. By 1500, they were printed and numbered in their millions. The invention of Johann Gutenberg had caused a revolution: printing by movable type. Born in 1400 in Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg struggled against a background of plague and religious upheaval to bring his remarkable invention to light. His story is full of paradoxes: his ambition was to reunite all Christendom, but his invention shattered it; he aimed to make a fortune, but was cruelly denied the fruits of his life's work. Yet history remembers him as a visionary; his discovery marks the beginning of the modern world.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bantam Press
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0553819666
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0553819663
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Editorial Reviews

Review


"Vivid . . . engaging, detailed and highly readable . . . a window on an extraordinary display of consummate skill and creative genius." —New Scientist



"At the heart of Man's enchanting narrative is Gutenberg's place as an early capitalist, an entrepreneur, deprived of patrician status by his mother's modest background, who set out to strike it rich in business." —New York Times Book Review



"A heavily detailed account, but still accessible to a general audience." —Booklist



The best book about the origin of books you could read . . . clear, engaging, fast-paced and authoritative." —Stephen Fry



"Extremely erudite and enormously enthusiastic." —Guardian

About the Author

John Man is a historian and travel writer whose other titles include Alpha Beta, Attila, Genghis Khan, and The Great Wall.

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About the author

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John Man

John Man

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I write mainly about Mongolia. Why Mongolia? It’s a long story. Here’s a shot version.

I am the child of Kentish villages, Rolvenden and Benenden. I’ve been escaping ever since. At the King’s School, Canterbury, I had an inspiring German teacher. So: German (and French) at Oxford and a year in Vienna, which left me intrigued by the Iron Curtain, and what it hid. During a post-grad in the History of Science, I helped plan an expedition to Mongolia, because in the 1960s the far side of the Soviet Empire sounded truly exotic. To join the expedition, I became the sole student of Mongolian at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. The trip was a crazy idea, and never happened, but it left me yearning to go.

Ambitious to know the world, I joined Reuters. A year in Bonn revealed a profound ignorance of recent history. So I joined a magazine, The History of the 20th Century, working with two great historians, AJP Taylor and JM Roberts. Publishing with Time -Life Books led to life as a freelance writer, first in Oxford, raising a wonderful family, now grown and flown, then raising another in London, ditto.

I wrote forgettable books for forgotten companies. I lived with a jungle tribe in Ecuador, ghosted, wrote two thrillers, drafted several un-makable film-scripts, and at last, in the 1990s, after the Soviet Union and its empire collapsed, I went to Mongolia.

I discovered an amazing land, amazing people, and world-changing history that is remarkably under-appreciated. I try to bring the past alive by combining history with personal experience. This 25-year passion has inspired a score of books and driven me to the outer limits of the Mongol Empire in China, Japan, Central Asia and Hungary.

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
103 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book highly informative, with one review highlighting its valuable insights into the political and religious environment of Gutenberg's time. They describe it as fascinating. The writing style receives mixed reactions, with some customers finding it well-written while others find it slightly annoying.

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InsightEngagingWriting style
7 customers mention "Insight"6 positive1 negative

Customers find the book highly informative, with one customer noting how it provides valuable insight into the political and religious environment of Gutenberg's time.

"_The Gutenberg Revolution_ is a highly informative book, not just about the man, Johannes Gutenberg, but about his machine, his time, and his legacy...." Read more

"This is a scholarly book about what happened when the printing machine came into being...." Read more

"...It was very insightful and helpful for my paper. It was convenient to have it on the Kindle as it allowed me to read it on my phone at any time." Read more

"A good history. Not perfect but far better than most." Read more

4 customers mention "Engaging"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fascinating.

"I loved this book and I love this new idea of Kindle singles...." Read more

"A thoroughly engaging and fascinating book that provides valuable insight into the political and religious environment in which Gutenberg formulated..." Read more

"I recently read this book on my Kindle. It is an interesting and engaging account of how Johannes Gutenberg pulled together all sorts of existing..." Read more

"Fascinating!..." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing style"1 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book.

"...I learned a great deal from this book, however, the writing style was slightly annoying...." Read more

"Well-written & engaging story of technical innovation..." Read more

"...It is written in a very dry style of one scholar to another. The only of real interest to me was about print culture...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • SaraM
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written & engaging story of technical innovation
    Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I recently read this book on my Kindle. It is an interesting and engaging account of how Johannes Gutenberg pulled together all sorts of existing technology and improvised and created new methods so he could solve the problem of movable type. The information on the financial aspects of his entrepreneurial activities are relevant today. No one should forget how important Gutenberg's work was and this book offers a lovely and entertaining way to learn about a crucial advance in technology that helped launch other social and religious revolutions in Europe in the late 15th & 16th centuries CE.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • E. L. Weinhold
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great history of Gutenberg and his life and times
    Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    _The Gutenberg Revolution_ is a highly informative book, not just about the man, Johannes Gutenberg, but about his machine, his time, and his legacy. Several chapters are devoted to the history and politics of late-medieval Germany, and they provided wonderful context for the overall story.
    I learned a great deal from this book, however, the writing style was slightly annoying. Man, the author, tries to chat with his reader, and while it was interesting some of the time, I felt it was overdone, and that the book began to suffer because of it. Sentences like "So: Here we go", do not belong in a history book. Other than that tendency, I really did like the book. I am very interested in the History of Books, and this is one of the few sources (in English) written about the father of modern printing; so for that reason, I value it.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Bill
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating background insights
    Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2018
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A thoroughly engaging and fascinating book that provides valuable insight into the political and religious environment in which Gutenberg formulated and developed print technology. The author's in depth research enables us to understand Gutenberg's early family life, relationships with influential elites, and business motivation. This book is also a good source of information about early printing in the far East.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • larainey
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good information
    Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a scholarly book about what happened when the printing machine came into being. I would not have read this if not for a grad class and I do not think that the average person would like it, I did not. It is written in a very dry style of one scholar to another. The only of real interest to me was about print culture. Man questions if print culture exists and if it does what is it really. I have never heard the term print culture before so that sparked my interest.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • MICHAEL DESMOND
    5.0 out of 5 stars The more things change, the more they stay the same.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I loved this book and I love this new idea of Kindle singles. The book gives a good background to Gutenberg and the invention of the printing press and how he went broke.It makes the links with today's tech revolution, Facebook and Twitter. Note it is not an in depth study but never the less it is a great over view. I loved it
    One person found this helpful
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  • Becca
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I got interested in Gutenberg after reading Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore (also recommended), and found this history of printing and the revolution it created to be fascinating, and well-told.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Thamar Garza
    5.0 out of 5 stars I used this book as a source for a paper ...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I used this book as a source for a paper I was writing about Gutenberg. It was very insightful and helpful for my paper. It was convenient to have it on the Kindle as it allowed me to read it on my phone at any time.
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  • Jan Kuzebauch
    5.0 out of 5 stars Neat, detailed and catchy
    Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2016
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Although the book gives a lot of details about the birth of the invention and its inventor, it is a real page-turner. What I really appreciate is that the author does not focus only on the basic line, but it puts everything into the context of contemporary Europe.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Martin Hiller
    5.0 out of 5 stars The information revolution happened earlier than you think
    Reviewed in Germany on March 13, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    John Man wrote as thrilling a history book as one could wish. To understand now, as the internet age has started, the incredibly strong influence of book printing on any and everything following is simply a fantastic story, and he tells it in a compact, detailed yet always engaging manner. A great read!
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  • mike
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2014
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Came in perfect condition.
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  • oeokosko
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting times...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Most of the book is taken up with Gutenberg's life and that of related printers. Much is a summary of academic speculation as facts are short on the ground. However, what I found most interesting were:
    1. That the activities described could be carried out today. People really haven't changed, and haven't no doubt for millenia and won't in the future - if we don't destroy ourselves, which is a distinct possibility!
    2. That Islam, with it's oral tradition, didn't adopt printing for 400 years. The reason probably being the idea that the printed word reduced the quality of memory (the Quoran being learnt by heart). The echo of computers reducing the need to memorise images (photos) and facts (for example phone numbers) is very strong! Civilisation may yet become an Idiocacy, even without the help of Fox News!
    3. That print allowed knowledge to be passed down for future generations to build upon but also undermined the authority of the Catholic church - this being well known, but nicely expounded here.
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  • xyzzy
    5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read!!
    Reviewed in India on August 20, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The book dives into the history of printing press and the profound impact it had on the humanity. The book is not only a must read for people interested in history but also for a casual reader looking for an interesting story.
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  • Mantello
    3.0 out of 5 stars Okay
    Reviewed in Italy on September 11, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    No tracking and duty applied at border. Had to request reimbursement which Beanny did quickly.
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