As a result of bourgeois development starting in the 13th century, numbers of the literate increased considerably. Literacy, parallel with the social demand for books, was growing considerably, which manual copying was no longer able to meet. Therefore, in the middle of the 15th century there was a clear social need for inventing book printing.

Wood-cut phantasy-portrait of Johannes Gutenberg made after his death	The image of Gutenberg's supposed printing press	A detail from Gutenberg's 42-line Bible

1. THE PROCESS OF BOOK MAKING IN THE HAND-PRESS PERIOD

1.1. Paper manufacturing

Paper maker (Jost Amman's wood-cut)	Paper-mill operated with water-raid (17th century illustration)	Water-mark from the paper used by Gál Huszár in his books printed in Óvár

2. PUNCH AND MATRIX

Punch and matrix	Letter casting instrument	Letter caster in the foundry (wood-cut by Jost Amman)

3. BOOK PRINTING

Setting	The letter case used in Debrecen (1697)

 

Printer as represented by a contemporary printer's device	The making of the ink-ball: a leather ball filled with horsehair	The earliest representation of the press: the printer's device of the French Badius Jodocus Ascensius

4. HAND PRESSES THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES

16th century representation of the press	Wood-cut illustration decorating the type specimen sheet of a 17th century Nurenberg foundry

Copper-plate representation of a printing shop with the press and two printer sin the front. To the left: letter case with the compositor turning his back, and a letter-caster working int he background
Representation of a cast-iron press from the early 1800s

5. THE ILLUSTRATION OF BOOKS

Illustrator at work	Card painter at work	wood-cutter at work

6. BOOK BINDING

Book-binding workshop (wood-cut by Jost Amman)	The tools of book-binding

 

Reconstructed book-binder's workshop from the hand press period

 

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