Learning | Gutenberg

I just finished an intriguing historical fiction book.  Gutenberg's Apprentice: a Novel is author Alix Christie's first book. I have always been fascinated by medieval illuminated manuscripts, which were traditionally created by hand, by scribes.  I've been equally fascinated by the printing process; if you've ever played with rubber stamps, I'm sure you have noticed how hard it is to make consistent impressions. I've always wondered what processes allow such clarity and uniformity.

Luckily for me, Christie's book explores both worlds. The main character is Peter Schoeffer, a young scribe who has mastered the art of making those illuminated manuscripts. He takes great pride in his work. 

At the beginning of the book, he is suddenly called away from his duties by his stepfather, Johann Fust. Fust is a middle-class trader, who has invested heavily in a secret project of Johann Gutenberg's.  Peter is given to Gutenberg as an apprentice. To say Peter is resistant to the idea is an understatement.  He thinks the early samples of the printed words are very ugly, and feels his very way of life threatened by the possibility of the new technology.

If you look at the photo right below this paragraph, you will see fine examples of the writing and embellishment that can be made with human handiwork. Compare it to the images of the collage further down the page, showing pieces of the Gutenberg Bible. You can see how a scribe like Peter might react strongly to such an oddly regular arrangement of letters on a page.  

Missal of Eberhard von Greiffenklau, Nativity, Walters Manuscript W.174, fol. 17v, from Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts' photostream on Flickr.com. Some rights reserved.

Gutenberg Bible collage: Left, Miami University's Gutenberg leaf (Recto) from the Gutenberg Bible. It contains Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 42:14-43:25. From Miami University Library's photostream on Flickr.com. Top Right, Gutenberg Bible - detail from the Old Testament; Bottom Right, detail from the New Testament, The Gutenberg Bible, both digitized by the HUMI Project, Keio University, July 2005; © National Library of Scotland; from National Library of Scotland's photostream on Flickr.com. All images in the collage were taken from The Commons area of Flickr.com, with no known copyright restrictions.

There are many ups and downs to the story of the production of the Gutenberg Bible.  Political and economic conditions forced the crew to work secretly for years, experimenting with various materials and techniques before developing a successful, reliable process.  Alix Christie is a printer herself, so she is able to describe the process in detail.  In some respects, this book reminds me of Homer Hickham's biography, Rocket Boys. In fact, if you enjoyed Rocket Boys, I think you will enjoy Gutenberg's Apprentice.

Teens Only | Teen Read Week Trivia Redux

Last week I posted some trivia questions in honor of Teen Read Week. How did you do? Here are the much anticipated answers!

In this book/movie, an arrogant student is put under a spell that makes him as ugly as his soul. It's Beastly, of course, by Alex Flinn. The movie, starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer, came out in 2011. This is another great modern twist on an old fairy tale (Beauty and the Beast). 

Next one. This book was, in large part, the basis for the movie "Mean Girls." The answer is Queen Bees & Wannabes, by Rosalind Wiseman. Even though this book is targeted to parents of teen girls, it's got some really good advice for teen girls about how to deal with the many pressures that come with high school.And by the way, if you haven't seen the movie Mean Girls, check it out at the Library. If it's not available at your branch, place a request on it!

The third question was a tough one. The title of this movie is an anagram of the book title on which it is based. (P.S. An anagram is a rearrangement of the letters of one word or phrase to form another word or phrase.) Pretty clever, eh? So the answer is: October Sky. The book is Rocket Boys: A Memoir by Homer Hickham. Write it down: October Sky and Rocket Boys. Anagram. And it's a great story about a group of boys who turn scrap metal into rockets that change their lives and their town forever. "If you dream it, you can become it." -- William Arthur Ward.

Some of you readers guessed this next one. Alexis Beidel and Jonathan Jackson star in this movie based on a book published in 1975. The answer is Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Great book! And think about it: would you really want to live at one age forever?And yes, the Library has the movie on DVD. And on CD. And in large print. And in Spanish. Seriously. What are you waiting for?

Next question: The original title of this book is Die unendliche Geschichte. The answer is The Neverending Story. If you like dragons, giants, monsters and mysteries, this just might be the book for you! And there are lots of copies of the movie available at SSJCPL library branches. Check one out! 

And finally! The last question! This author was 15 years old when he began work on this first book of a trilogy. The answer is Christopher Paolini, and the book is Eragon. This is fantasy at its best! If you haven't read this trilogy yet, read it now! In addition to several formats, we have this book as a downloadable e-book.




Congratulations to those of you who got all of these right! That's it for now. See you next Saturday!