The Printed Book: Its History, Illustration and Adornment: From the Days of Gutenberg to the Present Time

A magnificent survey of four centuries of bookmaking, written by a 19th-century French scholar who understood that the printed book was never merely a vessel for text, but a work of art in itself. Bouchot traces the evolution from Gutenberg's revolutionary press to the ornate volumes of his own era, attending not only to the mechanical advances in printing but to the illustrators, binders, decorators, and craftsmen who transformed sheets of paper into objects of beauty. The book includes 172 facsimile plates reproducing early typography, illustrations, printer's marks, bindings, borders, and ornamental initials, offering readers a visual archive of how book design evolved across centuries. Bouchot also provides a practical guide to collecting early printed books and a topographical index of early printing centers. Originally published in French and translated by H. Grevel, this volume speaks to anyone who has ever held a beautiful book and wondered about the hands that made it.