Comments on: Innovation and Books http://billpetti.com/2009/08/18/innovation-and-books/ Trying to separate the signal from the noise, one post at a time. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:17:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: billpetti http://billpetti.com/2009/08/18/innovation-and-books/#comment-23 billpetti Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:15:36 +0000 http://billpetti.wordpress.com/?p=282#comment-23 Mike: Really fascinating stuff--I had no idea about these prior innovations. Is there some recommended reading? Mike:

Really fascinating stuff–I had no idea about these prior innovations.

Is there some recommended reading?

]]> By: mike shupp http://billpetti.com/2009/08/18/innovation-and-books/#comment-21 mike shupp Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:14:51 +0000 http://billpetti.wordpress.com/?p=282#comment-21 Two absolutely huge factors, neuther actually an innovation in book MAKING. That said, (1) the invention of small letters, at the court of Charlemagne in the 800s. Suddenly it was possible for readers to observe that some words were names, or had significance as the start of sentences, or had importance of some sort within the sentence. (2) the invention of spacing between words, also at Charlemagne's court, so readers could reliably detect the end and beginning of words. A number (3) factor, beginning about the same time, but elsewhere if memory imforms me correctly: the supercession of scross by codices -- (or "codexes" - bound volumes with pages of the sort still used today). I'm not quite sure exactly what intitial impact this had -- codices were in use in Egyptian times, a thousand years before there were any Romans. OTOH, Gutenberg-style printing was probably made a whole lot simpler by printing comparatively small pages rather than full scrolls. Anyhow ... Before these inventions, text was presented entirely in capital letters with no spaces, and it was virtually impossible for most "readers" to interpret text without reading it aloud -- their understanding of text required that they hear it, and process it mentally as they did conversations. One of the things that make Julius Ceasar appear so phenomenal to his contemporaries was the ability to read silently. With small letters and spaces, it became possible to process text visually, at a far faster rate of speed, and likely with better comprehension. Printing, in comparison, was a minor improvement. Two absolutely huge factors, neuther actually an innovation in book MAKING. That said, (1) the invention of small letters, at the court of Charlemagne in the 800s. Suddenly it was possible for readers to observe that some words were names, or had significance as the start of sentences, or had importance of some sort within the sentence. (2) the invention of spacing between words, also at Charlemagne’s court, so readers could reliably detect the end and beginning of words.

A number (3) factor, beginning about the same time, but elsewhere if memory imforms me correctly: the supercession of scross by codices — (or “codexes” – bound volumes with pages of the sort still used today). I’m not quite sure exactly what intitial impact this had — codices were in use in Egyptian times, a thousand years before there were any Romans. OTOH,
Gutenberg-style printing was probably made a whole lot simpler by printing comparatively small pages rather than full scrolls.

Anyhow …

Before these inventions, text was presented entirely in capital letters with no spaces, and it was virtually impossible for most “readers” to interpret text without reading it aloud — their understanding of text required that they hear it, and process it mentally as they did conversations. One of the things that make Julius Ceasar appear so phenomenal to his contemporaries was the ability to read silently.

With small letters and spaces, it became possible to process text visually, at a far faster rate of speed, and likely with better comprehension.

Printing, in comparison, was a minor improvement.

]]>