Talk:Johann Gutenberg
From Academic Kids
removed from main article
"the "punch matrix" method of making type from metal molds, but recent analysis of older printed texts suggest that this method was discovered by someone else."
Can someone attribute this statement? Who claims that Gutenburg didn't invent moveable type in the West? What older printed texts? Anyone know about the state of printing pre-Gutenburg? Were there block printed books in the West or block printing presses? --rmhermen
There was a television programme in the UK, produced by the Open University with the BBC, which showed that the letters in the Gutenberg Bible were, on any given page, not cast from the same matrix. The letters were used again on different pages. The suggestion was that each Gutenberg letter was cast in a mould which was destroyed in the casting process and that the reusable mould was a later invention.
There is a web page.
http://www.open2.net/renaissance2/doing/gutenberg.html
--- So who's the joker who's added long sidelocks and mustache to this engraving? Wetman 23:40, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)
What is the origin of February 23 1455 please. Steinberg in "Five Hundred Years of Printing" gives a date in 1456 as the earliest known date from a note made about the binding of a copy. Yet that was written in the 1950s or early 1960s. Is there later evidence?
I heard that one copy of "Jikji", printed in 1377, Korea, with metal type, is at the National Library of France. There are evidences indicating that metal type was even used in 13th century in Korea.
- Korea is not in the "west". Moveable type was known prior to Gutenberg in the east, this is a known fact. JeLuF
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About my edit
I have removed the following about Chinese and Korean printing:
- , but they did not extensively employ them. (For the Chinese writing system, moveable type would be markedly less efficient than for European alphabets.)
I like pie
Also, maybe you'd enjoy reading the contribution about Gutenberg's using different letters above on this page... Now how's that for efficiency?
I'm sorry, but Gutenberg probably doesn't deserve the big name he has... We can choose to claim to our old assertions, based on a view that Europe is the culmination of civilization, or alternatively, we can choose a more enlightened – arguably more complex – view of the world. Greetings! Koko1133 19:15, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC)
- ... I still think the argument here is a little shaky. Everything I've read suggests that although printing was in use in East Asia before Europe, European printing methods worked better. Maybe there are different reasons for this; but I always thought alphabets were a factor. Even if the Chinese system was less complex than at first sight, it still must require several hundred characters at least, based on my knowledge of kanji. Roman alphabet has about 26 characters, and I'll say maybe up to 50 or more (100?) granted for accented characters and the different letters used. So it still seems like the European system works better than the Chinese. (No clue about the Korean alphabet, but I read somewhere they used the Chinese characters in printing...)
- Of course, I could be wrong, but do you have any sources in mind for your claims? I dislike Eurocentrism as much as the next guy, but this seems fishy... Brutannica 01:33, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Johann or Johannes
I was just wondering, I see Johann everywhere, except here it is written Johannes, is that as correct?
- His given name was Johannes, which was then shortened to Johann. Johannes is the Biblical form and Johann the German form. It's the same as Bill Clinton being born a William. This isn't worth mentioning in the article, though, as Johannes can be shortened in various ways (Hans, Hannes etc) and it didn't only happen in this case. Saintswithin 20:28, 3 Dec 2004 (UTC)
-I've always heard and seen it as Johannes. Also, wouldn't one use his given name in an encyclopedia article? Just wondering. -Jen, a newbie
Johannes!
Johan is a german name, but he was Johannes Gutenberg! -a german visitor :)-
"had moved from his native Germany to France"
As far as I know Gutenberg made his invention while he was living in Strasbourg. If that is correct then he probably never moved from Germany (whatever that would be in 1430) to France, but just some 100 miles south along the river Rhine from one city of the Holy Roman Empire to another one. 129.101.86.246 07:17, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
"It is very clear that Gutenberg knew of these techniques or invented them independently." - So it is "very clear" that he either knew of the Chinese techniques or did not know of the Chinese techniques? What is this trying to say? -Branddobbe 01:11, Mar 15, 2005 (UTC)
