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    Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History
    Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History
    Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History
    Audiobook8 hours

    Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History

    Written by Rebecca Romney and J. P. Romney

    Narrated by J. P. Romney

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    About this audiobook

    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.

    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.

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 14, 2017
    ISBN9781515984771
    Author

    Rebecca Romney

    Rebecca Romney’s appearances on the History Channel’s Pawn Stars have made her the country’s most recognizable rare book dealer. In her career, she has sold single volumes for $500,000, books from the libraries of Isaac Newton and Queen Elizabeth I, and more than one Shakespeare Folio.

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    Reviews for Printer's Error

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      Good overview of the history of print media/books — sort of cheesy at points but I liked the authors approach to the topic. Gives a good survey of the printers profession through time and dives deeper at certain points. Would recommend to book lovers and print enthusiasts.
    • 4/5
      The stories are well researched and entertaining. But the telling is spoiled a bit by the twenty-something jargon and YouTuber urgency. And I would have called it Printer’s Devil. But worth it nonetheless.
    • 4/5
      I loved the subjects covered in the book and have gone down many enjoyable rabbit holes based on what I read. So much to learn! Love it. That said, I agree with many of the reviews mentioning the jokes that won’t age well. Still, I’m very glad I read this book. It’s been my ‘books on books’ list for a few years!
    • 3/5
      Full disclosure, I'm a printer and book artist with a particular interest in early printed books, so... there wasn't a lot of ground I've never covered in this book.

      However, I think the authors did a good job of breaking the many strands of printing history into manageable chunks, and of highlighting significant philosophical and cultural developments as well.

      Sometimes the irreverent tone was grating and will, I suspect, make this book exceptionally dated very quickly, but I did snort with laughter a few times as well.

      Where the book really shines is in the conclusion, where suddenly they lay out parallels to this moment in time specifically, as we make our way to a possibly all-digital future -- it's quite brilliant, and pulls together all the different themes incredibly well. I wish that thoughtful commentary had been more apparent earlier in the book.

      Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
    • 5/5
      Really enjoyed this book for its facts and its often hysterical delivery of same. Highly recommended!
    • 5/5
      Full disclosure: I know one of the co-authors.This book delivers what the subtitle promises: "irreverent stories from book history." These are well-researched tales, leavened with a healthy dose of snarky humor which amused me tremendously; others may find it a bit much. The chapters range widely, treating everything from the recent De Caro forgeries to vernacular translations of the Bible to Godwin's biography of Mary Wollstonecraft and Dickens' beef with American publishers over copyright. The notes are thorough, the jokes are legion, and it likely will leave you wanting more (I finally read Godwin on Wollstonecraft) - you can't ask for much more, really. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Irreverent and fun, book lovers will enjoy this very readable history of printing.
    • 5/5
      I admit to being a fan of the reality television show the Pawn Stars on the History Channel. One of the things I enjoy is when they bring in one of their experts to tell us more about an object and Rebecca Romney is one of the best. I love books so her expertise is right up my alley. I was thrilled to find that she wrote a book along with her husband J.P. Romney and have to say I was not disappointed at all. Nonfiction can be a tough read. It has to give us facts about the topic and in the hands of a less skilled author it can be really dry. Sometimes we get lucky and find an author who can not only educate us, but also entertain us as well. This is one of those special books. Rebecca and J.P. had me laughing as I learned things I had never knew before about Shakespeare, Johannes Gutenberg, Charles Dickens, and Benjamin Franklin just to name a few of the characters included in these pages. My only complaint is I wanted more! This is a great choice for history fans or for people who say they don't like nonfiction.