A funny and entertaining history of printed books as told through absurd moments in the lives of authors and printers, collected by television's favorite rare-book expert from HISTORY's hit series Pawn Stars. Since the Gutenberg Bible first went on sale in 1455, printing has been viewed as one of the highest achievements of human innovation. But the march of progress hasn't been smooth; downright bizarre is more like it.
Printer's Error chronicles some of the strangest and most humorous episodes in the history of Western printing, and makes clear that we've succeeded despite ourselves. Rare-book expert Rebecca Romney and author J. P. Romney take us from monasteries and museums to auction houses and libraries to introduce curious episodes in the history of print that have had a profound impact on our world. Take, for example, the Gutenberg Bible. While the book is regarded as the first printed work in the Western world, Gutenberg's name doesn't appear anywhere on it.
Today, Johannes Gutenberg is recognized as the father of Western printing. But for the first few hundred years after the invention of the printing press, no one knew who printed the first book. This long-standing mystery took researchers down a labyrinth of ancient archives and libraries, and unearthed surprising details, such as the fact that Gutenberg's financier sued him, repossessed his printing equipment, and started his own printing business afterward.
Eventually the first printed book was tracked to the library of Cardinal Mazarin in France, and Gutenberg's forty-two-line Bible was finally credited to him, thus ensuring Gutenberg's name would be remembered by middle-school students worldwide. Like the works of Sarah Vowell, John Hodgman, and Ken Jennings, Printer's Error is a rollicking ride through the annals of time and the printed word.
Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History by Rebecca & J.P. Romney
Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History by Rebecca & J.P. Romney
A funny and entertaining history of printed books as told through absurd moments in the lives of authors and printers, collected by television's favor…
Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History by Rebecca & J.P. Romney
You May Also Like
The Storm Is Upon Us: How...
In 2017, President Trump made a cryptic remark at a gathering of military officials, describing it as 'the calm before the storm'-then refused to expl...
Stuff Matters: The Strang...
From the everyday objects in our homes to the most extraordinary new materials that will shape our future, Stuff Matters reveals the inner workings of...
A Short History of the Mi...
Situated at the crossroads of three continents, the Middle East has confounded the ambition of conquerors and peacemakers alike. Christianity, Judaism...
Midnight in the Garden of...
Genteel society ladies who compare notes on their husbands' suicides. A hilariously foul-mouthed black drag queen. A voodoo priestess who works her ro...
50 Economics Classics by ...
Economics drives the modern world and shapes our lives, but few of us feel we have time to engage with the breadth of ideas in the subject. 50 Economi...
Inglorious Empire by Shas...
The Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller on India's experience of British colonialism, by the internationally-acclaimed author and diplomat Shashi Tharoor'T...
I Contain Multitudes by E...
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE 2017. SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2017. THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Your body is te...
Mrs Robinson's Disgrace: ...
When the married Isabella Robinson was introduced to the dashing Edward Lane at a party in 1850, she was utterly enchanted. He was 'fascinating', she ...
Customers Also Liked
Wanderlust: A History of ...
Explore historical, political and philosophical paths traced by walkers in this profound and diverting modern classic. What does it mean to be out wa...
The Most Interesting Book...
Drawn from a former BBC QI Elf's lifetime’s search for the weird and the wonderful, The Most Interesting Book in The World is a miscellany of things t...
A Brief History of the En...
Do you feel like we're living in the end times? Does it seem like everything is on fire, and one disaster follows another? Here's a small comfort: you...
History of Cities in Maps...
A fascinating cartographic study of urban development, perfect for map and history lovers. The city, a concept nearly as old as history itself, is a p...
The Mafia: A Modern Histo...
Historians have previously glazed over the mafia's formative years. In this first volume, Ferrante explores its Sicilian roots, before following a cas...
France: An Adventure Hist...
Original, knowledgeable and endlessly entertaining, France: An Adventure History is an unforgettable journey through France from the first century BC ...
History at a Glance by Na...
Sweeping but succinct, this comprehensive reference presents all of world history in a browsable format featuring more than three dozen maps, along wi...
Silk: A History in Three ...
There is not just one story of silk. In silk is science, history and mythology. In silk is the future.Aarathi Prasad’s Silk is a gorgeous new history ...
