Listen to a sample
The Book-Makers
- Author
- Adam Smyth
- Narrator
- Adam Smyth
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 28 May 2024
- Run Time
- 12 hours 12 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
An Economist Book of the Year
A five-hundred-year history of printed books, told through the people who created them.
“Almost every page—almost every paragraph—fizzes with facts, allusions, speculations, tidbits of etymology and gems of historical interest.” —Wall Street Journal
Books have transformed humankind, yet we know little about the individuals who brought these fascinating objects into existence. Who were these renegade book-makers who changed the course of history through their experiments in the arts of printing, paper making, type designing, binding, advertising, and selling?
The Book-Makers offers a new way to understand the story of Western culture’s most important object through a series of dynamic portraits of eighteen men and women who helped to define the book. From Wynkyn de Worde’s cheap bestsellers produced in fifteenth-century London, to Nancy Cunard’s avant-garde pamphlets made on her small press in Normandy; from Benjamin Franklin’s inky entrepreneurialism, to the radical culture of contemporary zines, this is a celebration of the book with the people put back in.
Critics Review
-
“Bibliophiles will savor this sprightly walk down the book’s memory lane.”—Kirkus
-
“Erudite, insightful and hugely enjoyable, The Book-Makers features an eclectic cast of oddballs, eccentrics and visionaries who have shaped the printed book. A fabulous, first-class read.”—Giles Milton, author of Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
-
“Explores in compelling fashion the lives of these fascinating individuals and their roles in making the most powerful objects in human history – books.”—Richard Ovenden, author of Burning The Books
-
“Evocative and fascinating… We tend to think about books from the point of view of readers: Smyth has written a new, personal history recovering and respecting those who got their hands dirty.”—Emma Smith, author of This Is Shakespeare
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
“Amazing. From typeface to papermaking to a whole new-to-me democratic world of book interaction like commonplacing and zines, this book is a soul-expanding celebration of the human spirit.”—Martin Latham, author of The Bookseller’s Tale
-
“Fascinating... Should teach even serious book-nerds a heap of forgotten and precious information about the making of books … As full of surprises as any novel.”—David Bellos, author of The Novel of the Century
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Adam Smyth
- Narrator
- Adam Smyth
- Duration
- 12 hours 12 minutes
- Release Date
- 28 May 2024
- ISBN
- 9781668642450
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Biography: writers, Social and cultural history, European history, General and world history
Synopsis
An Economist Book of the YearA five-hundred-year history of printed books, told through the people who created them.“Almost every page—almost every paragraph—fizzes with facts, allusions, speculations, tidbits of etymology and gems of historical interest.” —Wall Street Journal Books have transformed humankind, yet we know little about the individuals who brought these fascinating objects into existence. Who were these renegade book-makers who changed the course of history through their experiments in the arts of printing, paper making, type designing, binding, advertising, and selling? The Book-Makers offers a new way to understand the story of Western culture’s most important object through a series of dynamic portraits of eighteen men and women who helped to define the book. From Wynkyn de Worde’s cheap bestsellers produced in fifteenth-century London, to Nancy Cunard’s avant-garde pamphlets made on her small press in Normandy; from Benjamin Franklin’s inky entrepreneurialism, to the radical culture of contemporary zines, this is a celebration of the book with the people put back in.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.