"In The Nature of the Book, a tour de force of cultural history, Adrian Johns constructs an entirely original and vivid picture of print culture and its many arenas—commercial, intellectual, political, and individual.
""A compelling exposition of how authors, printers, booksellers and readers competed for power over the printed page. . . . The richness of Mr. Johns's book lies in the splendid detail he has collected to describe the world of books in the first two centuries after the printing press arrived in England.""—Alberto Manguel, Washington Times
""[A] mammoth and stimulating account of the place of print in the history of knowledge. . . . Johns has written a tremendously learned primer.""—D. Graham Burnett, New Republic
""A detailed, engrossing, and genuinely eye-opening account of the formative stages of the print culture. . . . This is scholarship at its best.""—Merle Rubin, Christian Science Monitor
""The most lucid and persuasive account of the new kind of knowledge produced by print. . . . A work to rank alongside McLuhan.""—John Sutherland, The Independent
""Entertainingly written. . . . The most comprehensive account available . . . well documented and engaging.""—Ian Maclean, Times Literary Supplement"
By:
Adrian Johns (Norton)
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 24mm,
Width: 17mm,
Spine: 5mm
Weight: 1.474kg
ISBN: 9780226401218
ISBN 10: 0226401219
Pages: 776
Publication Date: 15 October 1998
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
"List of Illustrations Acknowledgments A Note on Conventions 1: Introduction: The Book of Nature and the Nature of the Book 2: Literatory Life: The Culture and Credibility of the Printed Book in Early Modern London 3: ""The Advancement of Wholesome Knowledge"": The Politics of Print and the Practices of Propriety 4: John Streater and the Knights of the Galaxy: Republicanism, Natural Knowledge, and the Politics of Printing 5: Faust and the Pirates: The Cultural Construction of the Printing Revolution 6: The Physiology of Reading: Print and the Passions 7: Piracy and Usurpation: Natural Philosophy in the Restoration 8: Histories of the Heavens: John Flamsteed, Isaac Newton, and the Historia Coelestis Britannica 9: Conclusion Bibliography Index"
Adrian Johns is the Allan Grant Maclear Professor of History at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Death of a Pirate: British Radio and the Making of the Information Age.
Reviews for The Nature of the Book: Print and Knowledge in the Making
In this original study Johns examines the way in which books came into being in 17th-century England. He explores the relationship between authors, printers and stationers in a world which was still coming to terms with concepts such as copyright, intellectual property and the single version of a text. Focusing particularly on books about science, he sheds valuable light on the 'scientific revolution' made by Newton, Boyle and other members of the new Royal Society in showing how their ideas reached the marketplace. This is a highly learned work which makes a significant contribution to our understanding of early modern culture, written in a lively and accessible style which is sure to have wide appeal. (Kirkus UK)
- Winner of American Society for 18th-Century Studies Louis Gotschalk Prize 1999
- Winner of American Society for 18th-Century Studies Louis Gotschalk Prize 1999.
- Winner of Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing: Book History Prize 1998
- Winner of Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing: Book History Prize 1998.
