Elizabeth L. Eisenstein (1923–2016)

Really enjoyed this, and I see why it became a must-read for the digerati. The book is fueled by the frustration that, on the one hand, historians say that printing led to immense changes in Europea's culture, and on the other hand, ignore the specifics of printing's impact in more detailed histories of the Reformation, later Renaissance, and scientific revolution. What makes it so thought provoking is that she has a real sensibility to network effects (avant la lettre), understanding how books and printed matter provided the material for a different sorts of interaction, and wider networks of interaction, between people in the Republic of Letters. This approach or point-of-view is what is generalizable to thinking about the impact of the Internet. Of course I also loved the details on the strategies of the earliest publisher/printers, including Platinus (his prints now on show at Singapore's National Museum) and Peter Schoeffer. (Is it a sign??)… (meer)