Source 1 – Prepressure

The article, “The history of printing” on Prepressure.com by Laurens Leurs is composed of a timeline starting at “3000 B.C. and earlier” and going all the way up to the Twenty-first century. This does not represent an argument but is rather serves as a visual representation to a more vivid description of the history of printing. The link to said vivid description is provided right above the timeline. The timeline is furnished with images to provide a visual aid to the progression of printing. Some of the images on the timeline are shown below. Figure 1 shows a Korean Buddhist document from the 13^th century, called Selected Teachings of Buddhist Sages and Seon Masters. This is the oldest known book to use metal type. Figure 2 depicts an image of a typo in a reprint of the King James Bible. This version of the bible became known as “The Wicked Bible” because of the typo stating, “Thou shalt commit adultery”. The two printers responsible with this, were fined and had their printing licenses revoked.

Figure 1: Laurens Leurs, Prepressure, 2017. A Korean Buddhist document from the 13^th century.

Figure 2: Laurens Leurs, Prepressure, 2017. A reprint of the King James Bible that contained a typo in the 17^th century.

 

The strengths of the timeline is that it is very informative and it could be easily used as support for an argument about the development of printing. The only weakness of this article is that it could have even more meaning if it provided some kind of argument or claim to further add to the information in the timeline so the reader has a clearer idea of what the timeline should be impressing upon them. The timeline raises the question of what ultimate idea should be drawn from it from the author’s point of the view.

The timeline is useful to an audience in the capacity that it provides a clear idea of the evolution of printing. The most relevant parts for the purpose of my research is to look from the fifteenth century (when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press) to the twenty-first century. Everything before the fifteenth century were not formal printers but rather different ways to create items like books and scrolls. This article cannot be used to present a new argument but rather to support one.

 

Citation:

Leurs, Laurens. “The history of printing.” Prepressure, 2017, http://www.prepressure.com/about?utm_campaign=InternalLink&utm_medium=Navigation&utm_source=About.