The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives

Smyth must think he was being brilliant coming up with 18 book people that most historians have neglected or feel are only secondary players and focusing his book around them as if they are the real key players in the history of the book. To his credit, while he champions de Worde, he doesn't totally forget about Caxton. William Wildgoose becomes important to Smyth because he happened to be the binder of the First Folio, even though no one talks about the First Folio because of the binding. He spends a lot of time with B. Franklin because of his diaries, almanacs, etc. ignoring all other colonial ephemera. For paper, he touts Robert as cheated out of the credit of machine paper making, only mentioning Dard Hunter. Why even include the show more cut and paste and extra-illustartion cranks, which to me in only abnormal history. Why of all the famous private and small press people does he focus on Nancy Cunard? His chapter on the Doves and Kelmscott Presses is one of the best in this book, referring the books produced by them as anachronistic. This is a case of covering the story of a forest by highlighting a few insignificant trees. show less

"The Book-Makers" is a good overview of the history of books, structured by the lives of different book makers: binders, printers, papermakers, etc. It's not a biography because there isn't much information on many of the people Smyth is focusing on--Benjamin Franklin being one of the exceptions--but he is able to explore their lives through their work and the way that work influenced the book as a form and culture as a whole.

The book can be a little dry at times. You really should be interested in the topic before you start reading it. But there are pure golden moments throughout the book that reflect on the history of books, of book-makers, and the life of a single book. If you like reflecting on any of these things, I would recommend show more "The Book-Makers" to you. show less

Esoteric. Really written for a British literary/historian audience, and in that sense it was a bit too out there for me. Learned a few things, and reading about Benjamin Franklin in this context was interesting, but prior knowledge of the history of British book printing is really necessary to appreciate this better. Probably 2.5 stars, to be honest.