Books Before Typography

Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1860-1Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 108K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Books Before Typography by Frederick W. HamiltonAuthor: Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1860-1940,Language: English, Class: Z: Bibliography, Library science, Release Date: Dec 30, 2009

Editor's review

This book is Frederick W. Hamilton's concise account of the forms of books before the invention of movable type, a popular work in the fields of library science and bibliography. Its value lies in clearly and orderly tracing the evolution of books, from clay tablets, papyrus and scrolls to codices, in China and abroad; it is short but information-dense, making it a suitable introductory read for understanding changes in writing media. The original was released free by Project Gutenberg, so readers can obtain the electronic text at any time, and searching and excerpting are convenient. There is no need to read quickly; pairing the text with photographs of objects or museum collection materials helps connect the descriptions of forms with actual ancient books visible before you, for better results. For readers interested in printing history, book history or basic library science, this is a very low-cost supplementary text with a broad perspective.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in book history and the evolution of writing media
Lower-year students in library science and bibliography
Middle school history teachers who need introductory material on printing history
English readers who enjoy free public-domain e-books

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for abundant plates and photographs of objects
Researchers who need in-depth textual criticism and the latest academic debates
Readers who struggle with English and have no habit of looking up words

Reading tips

First read the table of contents to grasp the overall thread from clay tablets to codices, then read the chapters in order.
While reading, compare with images of online museum collections to deepen understanding of book forms.
Mark technical terms first, then look them up together after finishing a chapter, so as not to interrupt the rhythm.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which forms of books before the invention of printing does this book discuss?

It mainly covers early writing media such as clay tablets, papyrus rolls and parchment codices, introducing their materials, production methods and contexts of use along chronological and regional lines, helping readers form an overall picture of book evolution before printing appeared.

Can I read this book if my English is not good?

The original is in English, with an explanatory style and fairly plain sentence patterns, but it involves bibliographical and antiquarian terminology. Readers with modest English can read paragraph by paragraph with a dictionary, or first read related Chinese introductory books and then come back to it for smoother understanding.

Is this book suitable for academic citation?

It is a popular account aimed at general readers, suitable as background knowledge and for tracing leads, but not appropriate to cite as the latest research. If used in a paper, it should serve as an entry point for further consultation of specialized bibliographies and contemporary academic works.

Comments

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About the author

Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1860-1 Author

Frederick W. Hamilton (1860–1) was an author whose writing centered on the conventions of written English and on typography. Public information about him is limited, and his life, nationality, and education cannot be reliably established; eight of his works are held in the collection. Judging from the surviving titles, he focused on the most basic and often overlooked details of writing and printing: the use of capitals, word study and English grammar, the division of words, punctuation, the uses of italic, abbreviations and signs, and compound words, along with Books Before Typography, a work touching on the prehistory of the book. These are for the most part concise, practical handbooks, clearly organized and concrete in their examples, addressed to students, printers, and general readers, and dealing with the fundamentals of English usage and typographic practice. Their subjects are small, yet they form part of the standardization of written language and the making of books, and they can still serve as references for early conventions of English usage and printing practice.