Peter Schoeffer is more than disappointed by his foster father's decree that he leave the work he has been doing in Paris to return home to Mainz. Peter had been on the brink of success as a scribe but now finds himself instead a lowly apprentice to Johann Gutenberg, helping create the printing press. However, Peter soon finds himself torn between his work for Gutenberg and his loyalty to his foster father and Gutenberg's benefactor, Johann Fust.
As a book lover, I truly appreciate the invention of the printing press and so I was very excited about the prospect of reading GUTENBERG'S APPRENTICE. However, the wealth of historical detail is a bit overwhelming to someone not as familiar with the time period and I found myself researching the history in order to better appreciate Alix Christie's story.
Alix Christie sheds light on some of the darker aspects surrounding the invention of the printing press. I love the vivid depictions of the scribes and their meticulous attention to getting every letter and word perfectly correct. In fact, the descriptions made me realize some of the art we have lost by gaining the volume of literature we have as a result of Gutenberg's press.
GUTENBERG'S APPRENTICE is a carefully researched story that clearly conveys the politics surrounding the invention of the printing press. While the details are quite thorough, the characters themselves are not as appealing and this may detract some from fully appreciating the scope of GUTENBERG'S APPRENTICE. Readers looking to deepen the knowledge they already have regarding the printing press will probably best appreciate the intricate complexity of Alix Christie's tale.
An enthralling literary debut that evokes one of the most
momentous events in history, the birth of printing in
medieval Germanyβa story of invention, intrigue, and
betrayal, rich in atmosphere and historical detail, told
through the lives of the three men who made it possible.
Youthful, ambitious Peter Schoeffer is on the verge of
professional success as a scribe in Paris when his foster
father, wealthy merchant and bookseller Johann Fust,
summons
him home to corrupt, feud-plagued Mainz to meet βa most
amazing man.β
Johann Gutenberg, a driven and caustic inventor, has
devised
a revolutionaryβand to some, blasphemousβmethod of
bookmaking: a machine he calls a printing press. Fust is
financing Gutenbergβs workshop and he orders Peter, his
adopted son, to become Gutenbergβs apprentice. Resentful
at
having to abandon a prestigious career as a scribe, Peter
begins his education in the βdarkest art.β
As his skill grows, so, too, does his admiration for
Gutenberg and his dedication to their daring venture:
copies
of the Holy Bible. But mechanical difficulties and the
crushing power of the Catholic Church threaten their work.
As outside forces align against them, Peter finds himself
torn between two father figures: the generous Fust, who
saved him from poverty after his mother died; and the
brilliant, mercurial Gutenberg, who inspires Peter to
achieve his own mastery.
Caught between the genius and the merchant, the old ways
and
the new, Peter and the men he admires must work together
to
prevail against overwhelming obstaclesβa battle that will
change history . . . and irrevocably transform them.
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