Live / A history of printing and the printed word: the challenges of the printed word

In Une histoire de l'imprimerie et de la chose imprimée, Olivier Deloignon delves deep into the major transformations that printing has brought about since its invention. The book explores the cultural, social and political impact of print through the ages, from Gutenberg to contemporary fanzines.

The invention of printing in the 15th century is often attributed to Johannes Gutenberg. However, this event was more than just a technical revolution; it profoundly changed power structures, culture and society as a whole. In Une histoire de l'imprimerie et de la chose imprimée, historian and typographer Olivier Deloignon offers a detailed analysis of the evolution of print and its repercussions over time.

Successive printing revolutions

The history of printing is punctuated by technical innovations and events that have shaped its development. From the 16th century onwards, the mastery of movable type enabled an unprecedented spread of ideas, but this democratization of knowledge was also accompanied by strong resistance. As Deloignon shows, printing was seen as both a vector of progress and a threat to religious and political powers. In particular, the author explores the tensions between printers, their bosses and the royal authorities, a conflict that became particularly acute during the Wars of Religion, when Catholics and Reformed opposed each other.

Over the centuries, censorship has always been a counterpoint to the rise of printing. Deloignon describes how, from the earliest days of typography, the authorities tried to control what was printed. One of the main strengths of printing is its potential to spread dissident ideas. To counter this, the Catholic Church set up the Index of Prohibited Books, while political regimes, monarchies and dictatorships alike, systematically sought to control the press and published works. However, this censorship was never totally effective, as printers often found ways to circumvent the bans.

With the industrialization of printing in the 19th century, the emergence of the mass press transformed the nature and scope of printed matter. Olivier Deloignon highlights the central role of rotary presses in the engineering of mass consent. In particular, he explores the press of the early 20th century, used as a powerful tool of persuasion, especially during the First World War, when printed matter became an ideological weapon in the service of national propaganda.

In the final sections of the book, Deloignon looks at how print forms have been renewed over the centuries. He looks at how typographers, sometimes self-taught like the Benedictine monks of the 1950s, or contemporary fanzine craftsmen, have helped redefine the boundaries of print. This contemporary period testifies to a return to a certain form of craftsmanship, where technology enables everyone to appropriate the tools of printing to express ideas outside the traditional circuits.

The history of printing is inseparable from the struggles for freedom of expression and the technical developments that have transformed our relationship with the written word. Faced with today's challenges, printers must reinvent their craft to adapt to new technologies, while preserving age-old know-how. The future of printing undoubtedly lies in this ability to combine tradition and modernity. Deloignon leaves the door open to this reflection, while suggesting that print, far from being obsolete, continues to occupy an important place in the transmission of knowledge and ideas.

  • Publisher âeuros : âeuros FABRIQUE; 1st edition (October 4, 2024)
  • Language âeuros : âeuros French
  • ISBN-10 âeuros : âeuros 2358722812
  • Dimensions âeuros : âeuros 13 x 2.4 x 20 cm
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