Before Class Chapter 5

1. Sum up the reading in your own words in 1-2 paragraphs. Do not copy straight from the book, or you will receive a zero for your first grade.
This was a boring reading for me, I'm not huge in European history. Paper making started in China, was spread to Arab lands through forced captured chinese paper-makers. From Arab it went to Damascus, and to Egypt. There it was from Africa to Sicily, to Spain, to Italy and than to France. Around 1415 mass playing cards were produced. The printing cards were the first for illiterates to play that royalties also played. The first prints were mostly of saints, and nearly all from wood. Common subjects for the first block books were religious texts, often talking about death or the apocolypse, corresponding to the recent Black Plague that had been killing of people. Most of the block books made were with about 30 to 35 leafs, with some being hand colored and some with stencils to apply color to flat areas. This was how playing cards were made.

Since paper was made so available, more books were demanded and therefore relief printing from woodbloocks.

In september 1428 Gutenberg was exiled from Mainz, Germany and moved to Strasbourg where he became a successful gem cutter and metal worker. In 1438 he formed a contract with Andreas Dritzenhen and Andrewas Hellmann. He taught them mirror making and other things. When Dritzehen died in 1438 brother Georg and Claus sued Gutenberg for the partnership or a refun In 1439 the court ruled for Gutenberg since the contract said only 100 florins would be paid to the partner's heirs. In 1440 Gutenberg moved back to Mainz where he worked for ten years to make the first typographic book called the 42-line Bibe.

Typographic printing is different from woodblock printing since the wood is too fragile.

Unfortunately the process is very expensive and he has to borrow 800 guilders from Johan Fust, a wealthy merchant in Mainz. In 1452 he borrowed another 800 guilders from Fust to make a whole bible. In 1455 Fust suddenly sued Guttenberg for 2026 guilders for the loans plus the interest. In Nov. 1455 the courts ruled for Fust, and while Fust showed up and took a vow before God, Gutenberg sent two friends to ask for more time. Fust took gutenberg's pritning equipment as colateral and all the world in progress. Fust made a deal with Peter Schoeffer (Gutenberg's assistant) who later married Schoeffer's daughter. In 1466 Fust died while Schoeffer and his associate Conrad Henkis continued the succesful printing business. For a few years printint was established in Mainz but due to the blood wars that ensued many eventually fled and setting up shop as far away as France and Italy.

Around the same time as Gutenberg, someone called the Master of the Playing Cards created the earliest copperplate engravings.


2. Name the fact you found most interesting from the reading.
The watermark started around 1282 by the Italians. I often think of watermarks being a much more recent invention due to its complexity in opacity but it's cool how long ago it was able to be produced.