In what ways did the introduction of printing affect the appearance of text in books?
The introduction of printing had a relatively steady and gradual affect on the appearance of text in books (Febvre, 1990, p. 78). The first printed books were faithful copies of their original manuscripts and it was often the same craftspeople/illuminators that printed them (Febvre, 1990, p. 77). Various regional styles of type existed when printing began, they varied according to what class/reader the text was aimed at and what purpose they served. It was the ‘littera antiqua’ (the roman script) that became the standard script for printed books for a very long time (Febvre, 1990, p. 79). I wonder if typefaces like Times New roman also evolved from roman type? So the appearance of text in printed books became more uniform, which was also propagated by financing more printing shops and endeavoring to reach the widest possible market. The roman script was widely disseminated through Italy and so printers catered to this large market (Febvre, 1990, p. 80-81). As the roman script was designed for writing classical Latin texts, the international Latin book trade played a big role in standardizing roman type (Febvre, 1990, p. 83). Roman type was also larger and easier to read compared to the gothic and as printed books became more common, so did the emphasis on readability, clarity and ease-of-use which precipitated changes in the layout of text such as double columns to one single well-spaced lines. Printing large quantities of books meant that they were no longer precious objects reserved for elites. People wanted to be able to carry books around with them and this lead to its ‘portable’ format (Febvre, 1990, p. 88). We can see the steady shift toward the contemporary appearance of books today, in terms of its size, layout and typeface.
What additional features were included in books after the development of printing?
The first books had no title page. People turned the pages of books to decipher their contents and subject matter. The title page evolved as a utility, to make a book easier to use by indicating to the reader the ‘civil status’ of a book (Febvre, 1990, p. 83). It’s believed to have also come about as a result of filling in the recto (right-hand side of a book) of a book with a short title that was otherwise left blank because the first recto was easy to soil (Febvre, 1990, p. 84). By the end of the 15th century, most books included title pages, however went through stages of development until it took on its contemporary form (Febvre, 1990, p. 86). Title pages, particularly for religious texts, were elaborately decorated by artists and also began including the publisher’s address and date of publication.
Bibliography
Febvre, L. (1990). The Book: Its visual appearance. In The coming of the book: The impact of printing 1450-1800 (pp. 77-108). London, UK: Verso