Brand Luther: 1517, Printing, and the Making of the Reformation

This is the best thing on the Reformation I've read for some time. In the past, for those who might only read one thing on Luther, I've recommended Oberman's "Luther: Man between God and the Devil". But now, I'd have to offer them a choice between Oberman and this book of Pettegree's.

It's Luther chiefly through the eyes of the print, the medium that made the Reformation. And equally, it's the (primarily German) print industry that this reformed monk made. Alert to Luther's strengths and weakness (sometimes the very same things), the book traces the career and impact of Luther with wonderful insights both historical and technical.

This is a carefully sculpted and lucid biography of Martin Luther poised against the background of the printing press and books in Germany circa 1500. Luther, a bright intellectual and young Augustinian monk posted his thesis against indulgences and their abuse on the cathedral door at Wittenberg. It helped to churn an already current of criticism toward Rome, tapped into the rise of political power by the Princes in Germany and eventually unleashed a schism of doctrinal divisiveness that became known as the Protestant Reformation. Luther was a master of media manipulation through the printing press with the knowledge that the “oxygen of publicity was a matter of life and death.” He also paid attention to the education of girls, show more raising the level of literacy where his church took hold. His use of German rather than Latin reached out to the ordinary people of the land. Throughout the book there are illustrations of the fine woodcuts that helped popularize his writings. Luther read the political scene very well and was skilled at energizing market forces in his behalf. As one who participates in ecumenical dialogue, I found the book very helpful in gaining a clearer picture of Luther with human qualities rather than a rigid dogmatic figure of History. Pettegree’s book is a timely publication for the 500-year Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017.

I purchased this for my personal library. show less

I've read a lot of books on Reformation and on Luther, and this is a very good one. I'm also interested in written communication and business and this ties everything up so well. Pretty objective about Luther - both his good and his bad qualities. Clear and concise history of the Reformation and paints so well the drama of what took place, putting it in context and helping us understand what is happening. On rare occasions I didn't agree with the author's interpretation, but overall an outstanding book. "Printing was essential to the creation of Martin Luther; but Luther was also a determining, shaping force in the German printing industry. Many things conspired to ensure Luther's unlikely survival through the first years of the show more Reformation, but one of them was undoubtedly print. ...Luther could not have been a force in the German church without his instinctive, towering talent as a writer. ...After Luther, print and public communication would never be the same again. It was an extraordinary legacy for an extraordinary man." show less

Though a bit dry and academic, the book is well-written and worth reading. It is a fascinating, detailed overview of the Reformation along with the nascent printing business -- two topics that had a huge impact on history, and continue to be a vital part of the world today.

I wished for more definitions of terms for those of us who are not educated about church matters -- like liturgy, indulgences, and catechisms. A quick definition of those terms and a few others would have been helpful for this reader, and easy for the author to do. Also a brief definition of "Low Countries." (I assumed "low" as in "southern," but not so.)

A recommended read. This broader knowledge of the Reformation gave me a deeper understanding of 16th-century Europe show more and, in particular, Mary Queen of Scots and the Catholic / Protestant tensions she lived with till her death. Next, on to "The Tutors" by Peter Ackroyd. show less

A fascinating and informative look at the Reformation from a technological perspective. Given the importance of music, both liturgical and domestic, to Luther himself as well as to the Reformation movement, it's unfortunate that the subject appears only briefly in the final part of the book. Nothing at all is said of the development of the sub-specialty of music printing.

Far be it from me to criticize the work of someone with the breadth of learning possessed by Andrew Pettigree; I've read his The Book in the Renaissance, which is great. This one is not: there's almost no narrative and almost too much about dozens of German printers whose names flee from one's memory after a page is turned.

Also--if you aren't familiar with Luther or what he did, this book won't help. Pettigree assumes you know about Tetzel, indulgences, justification by faith alone, etc. He also never gets into these ideas, instead offering ways in which Luther got out his word. We get the means of distribution but not what was distributed. The comparison to modern advertising--the "Brand" of the title--doesn't really work.

3.6 Very good! Little dense with so many German names and towns. Fascinating to see how important the print industry was to the Reformation.