Elit Knigihow a book is made: history and craft

An independent cultural guide to the history and craft of the book. We do not sell books or publish editions, and we are not connected with the former website on this domain or its catalogue.

History

History

The history of the book is longer than the history of printing, but it was printing that made the book an everyday object. The chronicle below includes only dates firmly confirmed by reference literature, followed by notes on what those events changed.

Every invention in the history of the book solved the same problem: how to reproduce a text accurately, quickly and many times over.

— A note in the margin

Chronicle

  1. 2nd century

    The invention of paper is traditionally linked to China in the early 2nd century AD. The new material was lighter and more affordable than earlier ones and in time became the main surface for writing, and later for printing.

  2. 15th century

    Around the middle of the century, Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz begins printing with movable metal type: text is assembled from separate characters that can be taken apart after printing and used again.

  3. c. 1455

    The Gutenberg Bible is printed, one of the best-known books produced by the new method.

  4. 1564

    In Moscow, Ivan Fyodorov and Pyotr Mstislavets publish the Apostol (The Acts and Epistles of the Apostles), the first precisely dated printed book of the Muscovite state.

  5. 1970

    The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is introduced; the rules for its structure are set out in the ISO 2108 standard.

  6. 2007

    From 1 January, the ISBN has 13 digits instead of the earlier, shorter form.

What each date changed

Paper alone does not make a book, but without it printing would hardly have become widespread. Parchment took a long time to prepare and was expensive, whereas paper could be made in large quantities. When the printing press appeared, it already had something to print on.

The real novelty of Gutenberg's method was not the press itself but movable type. Each letter was cast separately, letters were set into lines, lines into a page, and after printing the type was distributed and used again. This idea gave rise to words that still live on in publishing: setting, forme, impression.

The Apostol of 1564 is interesting not only as the beginning of printing in Moscow but also as an example of a carefully considered book, showing real care for type, ornament and the order of leaves. The ISBN was born in a very different age, when there were so many books that they needed a single system to keep track of them. Centuries separate these events, yet the task is the same: making sure the right book can be identified and found.

  • Collections

    Routes through the guide: by craft, by history, and a short path for a first introduction.

  • Close reading

    A step-by-step way to examine the design of an edition, plus a table of a book's main elements.

  • Archive

    A table of contents for every section of the guide and an explanation of the domain's old addresses.

Sources

  • Reference works on the history of the book and of printing
  • International standard ISO 2108 (ISBN)

Historical information is based on reference literature on the history of the book and of printing. Details of exhibitions, museums and fairs change, so please confirm them with the organisers.