Form and Function of the Printed Book Change - Assignment Example

In what ways, and for what reasons, did the form and function of the printed book change during the first hundred years of its existence in Europe? Form and function are important aspects in the world of design (Crompton 2004, p12). In printing, form is used to refer to the general feel and look of a page. It can also be used to refer to the look, character and shape of the components that are in the page(s) of a book. These components are: graphic elements, paper texture and the typefaces. Form also refers to the format of the printed material, that is, if it is a brochure, poster, booklet, newsletter or a book. Function on the other hand refers to the practical aspect of the design process. It is the purpose for which the printed material is being produced in the first place. There are different purposes for printing: to inform, educate, sell, and entertain or to impress. The function aspect of printing includes the audience, copywriting the message and cost of printing (Grendler 1993, p43). Form and function have to work together in order to accomplish a printing goal. Print has a rich and long history, dating back to 500-800 AD, when Chinese used woodblock kind of printing. This printing was called the woodblock method (Eisenstein 2005, p52). It involved engraving the background on wood. This was used for both illustrations and text. Page normally consisted of multiple wood blocks joined together. When the page was complete, it would then be inked and a printing surface such as a sheet of paper placed over it. This kind of printing usually consumed a lot of time and effort and it was also not durable (Moran 1973, p45). Printing as we know it could not have been possible without the important invention of Johann Gutenberg. This German inventor came up with a printing press that completely changed the world of printing (Childress 2008, p37). The printing press is a machine that integrates several technologies such as ink and paper and movable type printing. The printing press also changed the function and form of the printed book during the first hundred years of its existence in renaissance Europe (Grendler 1993, p45). This paper aims at exploring the ways in which the printed book’s form and function changed during this time. It also analyses the reasons that led to this change. Change of Form In order to print one has to have type. The types used in printed books were somewhat different from those used in Manuscripts. Type fonts were created depending on the local scripts that were in use (Grendler 1993, p61). Much of the type used in the early years of printing was usually calligraphic, meaning that it imitated handwriting. In 1476, the Englishman William Caxton used the famous Black letter in his printings. Aesthetically, the type used in early printed books was actually a reproduction of characters as they appeared in manuscripts (Eisenstein 2005, p103). They were created using the casting and type-setting technique. Gutenberg was a genius calligrapher and he was able to imitate the characters of letters used in handwritten manuscripts (Childress 2008, p73). His most notable types are the Bible (Blackletter) and Psalter types. Signatures, catchwords and foliations were all incorporated into printed books (Moran 1973, p64). The Blackletter type is significantly different from Roman typeface. The Blackletter type is characterized by dramatic thick and thin strokes. The type which is based on early manuscript characters may also have some intrinsic swirls on the serifs. There are four major family groups belonging to this typeface: rotunda, Franktur, Schwabacher and Textura. The Roman type, which is also refer to as serif font is mainly upright. It is so called for the features it has at the ends of its characters. Some of the known Roman styles include: Baskerville, Bodoni, Times New roman, Bembo, Garamond and Caslon (Crompton 2004, p45). Further developments in printing led to the register, a forerunner to the table of contents (Eisenstein 2005, p55). The register served as a complete guide on the contents of the book. The early forms of registers consisted of vertically arranged catch words. A space was normally left before the beginning of a gathering. Later, letters of the alphabet were adopted to show different gatherings. At around 1480, the catchwords were eliminated altogether and the signatures were designated in terms of the number of sheets. By the end of the century, the register of table of contents only included signatures and a format indication (Crompton 2004, p71). Another important development in the form of book printing was in the placement of the printer’s mark on a blank page at the beginning of a book. Special devices were first used for placing printer’s devices or marks in 1462 (Moran, 1973). This was one of the earliest contributions to the title page as we know it today. By the 1480s, there existed half title pages which contained book title and author. Color printing first seen in 1457 by Johann Faust and Peter Schoffer. This color printing also included the initial letter, which is a common practice for two-color printing. Book pagination is attributed to Aldus Manutius in 1499 (Grendler 1993, p56). This was done to make it easier to remember where one had read what. Early illustrations in books were through the use of woodblocks which were joined together and imprinted on a sheet of paper (Eisenstein 2005, p103). In 1460, Albrecht Pfister became the first man to print illustrated books (Crompton 2004, p56). The types of blocks that were used in illustrating early printed books were very small, which made images appear generic. The text and illustrations were normally printed separately. In 1476, the first copper engravings were used for illustrations (Tames 2006, p66). The first printed books lacked complete title pages. Instead colophons, which served as some kind of finishing touch, were incorporated at the back of the book. It was an advertisement for the printer and also an indication that it was original work. It was not long before the last page became so full that it could no longer contain the colophon. In 1470, Arnold ther Hoernen printed the first book with a title, which had the same type and column width as the book content (Moran, 1973). The first decorative border around the was used for the first time in 1476 by Ratdolt in Venice. The border was characterized by a clear definition, lightness and delicacy (Grendler 1993, p122). Change of Function Religious tracts and bibles were the first few books to be printed (Childress 2008, p98). These attracted members of the clergy and oligarchs who bought them from print shops around Europe. During this period, the literacy level on Europe was quiet low and only a few rich people could actually read and write. Therefore, it makes sense that only a few members of society actually brought the first few printed books. Immediately after the innovation of the movable printing press, many people entered the printing business, but they quickly left it after it became apparent that many people were not buying the printed books (Grendler 1993, p85). However this situation was only temporary as more people began to buy the books after further developments occurred in the world of book printing (Eisenstein 2005, p106). Literacy levels started rising as more people became needful of knowledge. The printed books were much cheaper than handwritten manuscripts. For example, Gutenberg’s first Bible cost almost 20 times less the price of a handwritten one (Childress 2008, p104). Although it was still too expensive for many, at least more people could now afford it. Some fifty or so years after the first printed Bible became a reality, printing had become such an important business that it was not hard to find a book in most places in Europe. By the end of the first century of printing history, people all over Europe and some parts of Asia had read many books. Most of the early printed books contained religious information, such as the Bible, and later, the Quran. There were also books that contained stories and fables for entertainment purposes (Eisenstein 2005, p87). As time went by, the need for new information arose and new informative books began to be printed. This opened up thinking and communication in the middle ages. Individuals could read and interpret for themselves what they understood, and this is what led to the first major division in the church (Tames 2006, p68). The spread of knowledge as printed books became more popular led to the development of critical and rational thought, a major characteristic of the renaissance period. National languages were also developed as a result of book printing (Krebs 2009, p87). For instance, Latin slowly lost its significance as people could read the Bible and other texts in their own languages. Conclusion The function and form of printed books changed a lot in the first one hundred years of the invention of printing. Printers added different aspects of the printed book as they sought to make it easier to read the books. At the end of the first one hundred years of book printing, the format of the book had changed to suit the needs of both the printer and the reader. The function of the printed book changed from being a measure of social status to a means by which people satisfied their quest of knowledge. Books, especially story/fable books were also used as entertainment. Widespread printing of books influenced development of local languages, lessening the importance of Latin at the time. References Childress, D. (2008). Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press. Minneapolis, Minn: Lerner Pub Group. Crompton, S.W. (2004). The Printing Press. New York: Infobase Publishing. Eisenstein, E.L. (2005). The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe. London: Cambridge University Press Grendler, P.F. (1993). Form and Function in Italian Renaissance Popular Books. Illinois: University of Chicago Press. Krebs, S. (2009). The Impact of Printing on the Development of the English language During the Period of the Renaissance. Munich: GRIN Verlag Moran, J. (1973). Printing Press: History and Development from the Fifteenth Century to Modern times. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Tames, R. (2006). The Printing Press: A Breakthrough in Communication. London: Heinemann Read More