Printer’s Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History

Rare-book dealer and Pawn Stars expert Rebecca Romney and her husband, writer J.P. Romney (The Monster on the Road Is Me), dive into the history of the printed book with this treasure trove of the stories behind legendary books and their authors. The duo discuss forgeries of works by Galileo and Shakespeare as well as the difficulties of verifying the first printed book in Western history, the Gutenberg Bible, which was never signed by printer Johannes Gutenberg, making copies nearly impossible to identify. Some readers will be surprised to learn that even the concept of authorship is a relatively new one; through the Middle Ages, writers were viewed as mere channels for the Almighty to communicate with, and thus went unpaid. As for copyright, today’s authors have Charles Dickens to thank for fighting for both credit and proper remuneration for their efforts, according to the Romneys. Additional anecdotes—such as the story behind the creation of the revolutionary mapping technique called the Mercator Projection and the destruction of “one of the world’s most beautiful fonts,” the Doves Type—add breadth to this terrific collection. (Mar.)