History of the press and book industry (s) (2006/2007)

Learning outcomes

The birth of printing in the world and in the Middle Ages’ society is probably the most unexpected and transforming event that the world and civilization has face. Starting from Gutenberg and throughout the long theory of printers, through western countries and mostly Italy, the course will give a general vision of a not so well-none world which has contribute to the cultural, social, economic, political development of men: the recent word publishing, which has substitute printing.

Contents of the course: From manuscript to print paper: guidelines of a path; first incunabula and the spreading of printing in the European west. The achievement of book and its incidence on society; big printers and their inherence; the biggest Italian printers and their relationship with foreign countries; book in Italy. Renaissance as a cultural model and importance of book. Book a san object and its achievement in the cultured society. The Eighteenth century and new ideas to develop printing; the Nineteenth hundred achievement and the birth of publishing. Mass alphabeticalization and scholarship, mass-media and changes in publishing. Publishing and political power.

Oral test