Münster Monographs on English Literature
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Book Value Categories and the Acceptance of Technological Changes in English Book Production Münsteraner Monographien zur englischen Literatur Münster Monographs on English Literature Herausgegeben von / Edited by Bernfried Nugel und / and Hermann Josef Real Bd./Vol. 42 Münsteraner Monographien Simon Rosenberg zur englischen Literatur Münster Monographs on English Literature Herausgegeben von / Edited by Bernfried Nugel und / and Hermann Josef Real Book Value Categories and the Acceptance of Technological Changes Bd./Vol. 42 in English Book Production Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress Zugl.: Münster (Westfalen), Univ., Diss., 2013 Cover illustration: Münsteraner Schloss. By courtesy of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster. Supported by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Münster. Printed by CPI books GmbH, Leck. D 6 ISSN 0934-0300 ISBN 978-3-631-80426-1 (Print) E-ISBN 978-3-631-82738-3 (E-PDF) E-ISBN 978-3-631-82739-0 (EPUB) E-ISBN 978-3-631-82740-6 (MOBI) DOI 10.3726/b17293 . This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY 4.0 license. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ © Simon Rosenberg, 2020 Peter Lang – Berlin • Bern • Bruxelles • New York • Oxford • Warszawa • Wien. This publication has been peer reviewed. www.peterlang.com Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Acknowledgement internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data This book is a revised (and slightly extended) version of my dissertation that was accepted A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the by the Philosophische Fakultät of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster in 2013. Library of Congress I am grateful for the support of this publication by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Münster. Zugl.: Münster (Westfalen), Univ., Diss., 2013 As Peter Gabriel once said: “There are very few books written by a committee, and for a very good reason.” Yet, from the very first ideas all the way to the published physical Cover illustration: Münsteraner Schloss. object, the number of people that helped me with this one is staggering. First and fore- By courtesy of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster. most, I would like to thank my first supervisor, Prof. Dr. Gabriele Müller-Oberhäuser, for her continued support, trust and especially for her many, many critical questions that Supported by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Münster. made this book so much better. Prof. Adriaan van der Weel, Leiden University, was very kind to act as my second supervisor and was a crucial support for this publication, espe- Printed by CPI books GmbH, Leck. cially concerning the last chapter of this book. I would also like to thank Prof. Hermann Josef Real of the Ehrenpreis Centre for Swift Studies and Prof. Bernfried Nugel for, D 6 among other things, accepting my book in their series “Münster Monographs on English ISSN 0934-0300 Literature.” ISBN 978-3-631-80426-1 (Print) Colleagues, fellow PhD-students and student assistants from my days at the Institut für E-ISBN 978-3-631-82738-3 (E-PDF) Buchwissenschaft & Textforschung and the English Department at the WWU, too many E-ISBN 978-3-631-82739-0 (EPUB) E-ISBN 978-3-631-82740-6 (MOBI) to mention, backed me in all their different ways. (You know who you are.) I would like DOI 10.3726/b17293 to thank especially Birgit Hötker-Bolte for being not only a great administrator, but also friend, who never tired of reminding me to finish this book. Further special thanks are in order for Dr. Sandra Simon, who has read huge parts of early drafts of this book (when she . was supposed to be writing hers) and steered my work in a better direction. I would also like to thank my friends who supported my years as a PhD student in This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY 4.0 the way only friends can. Apart from sharing the ‘occasional’ bottle of red wine, Dr. Kai license. To view a copy of this license, visit Elprana in particular offered many hours of conversations about revisions (“How much https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ time do you have?”). His curiosity about this project left him knowing a surprising © Simon Rosenberg, 2020 amount about the fifteenth-century book trade in England. (You’re welcome!) My proofreaders during the final stages were kind enough to offer quick and vital help on, at times, very short notice. Ellen Barth, M. A., Sue Kummer and especially Peter Lang – Berlin • Bern • Bruxelles • New York • Erin Kummer, M. A. deserve a special mention. Thank you very much for turning my Oxford • Warszawa • Wien. sometimes-erratic English sentences into decent English. All remaining errors are entirely my own. This publication has been peer reviewed. Buchwissenschaft ist selten eine Garantie für eine erfolgreiche Karriere, die zum www.peterlang.com ökonomischen Reichtum führt. Glücklicherweise gab es zwei Menschen, die niemals meine Entscheidung anzweifelten oder mich von meinem Weg abbringen wollten. Ihre Unterstützung war die wesentlichste. Daher möchte ich dieses Buch Barbara und Werner Rosenberg, meinen Eltern, widmen. Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................ 11 The Death of the Printed Book? ............................................................................ 12 The Book as an Evolutionary Process? ................................................................. 16 The Book ................................................................................................................... 18 Publishing ................................................................................................................. 19 Structure ................................................................................................................... 23 Approach of This Study .......................................................................................... 27 ............................................. 31 1. Basic Concepts: Value and Acceptance 1.1. Value ........................................................................................................... 31 1.2. Acceptance ................................................................................................. 38 1.3. Value and the Book ................................................................................... 42 The Value Chain of Publishing .................................................................. 48 1.4. Book Value Categories .............................................................................. 51 Economic Value ........................................................................................... 53 Content Value ............................................................................................... 54 Symbolic Value ............................................................................................. 56 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 60 ..................................................................................... 63 2. The Gutenberg Age 2.1. Context: Introduction of the Printed Book ........................................... 64 Type Material ............................................................................................... 65 Paper .............................................................................................................. 65 Printing Process ........................................................................................... 66 Gutenberg’s B42 ........................................................................................... 68 Incunables as Transitional Books .............................................................. 72 8 Contents 2.2. Early Printing Presses in England ......................................................... 75 2.2.1. Preconditions in England �������������������������������������������������������������� 75 Readers ............................................................................................. 80 Publishing Categories �������������������������������������������������������������������� 81 Patronage ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 83 2.2.2. William Caxton ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 84 2.2.3. Wynkyn de Worde and Richard Pynson ..................................... 94 Comparing Caxton, de Worde and Pynson �������������������������������� 105 2.2.4. The English Provinces �������������������������������������������������������������������� 109 Oxford (1478–1519) ����������������������������������������������������������������������� 109 Cambridge (1520–1522) ���������������������������������������������������������������� 114 St Albans (1479–1486) �������������������������������������������������������������������