Andrew Pettegree Bücher

Als Martin Luther 1517 seine 95 Thesen an die Tür der Wittenberger Schlosskirche nagelte, war er praktisch unbekannt. Doch innerhalb weniger Jahre verbreiteten sich seine Ideen in ganz Europa und erschütterten den Kontinent in seinen Grundfesten. Luther wurde berühmt, ja berüchtigt. Wie hatte er das geschafft? Der wichtigste Reformator der Kirchengeschichte war nicht nur ein herausragender Theologe, sondern auch ein genialer Stratege, der ganz genau wusste, dass es nicht allein Argumente sind, die im Kampf der Ideen den Ausschlag geben. Mit sicherem Gespür für das, was wir heute Imagepflege und Marketing nennen, machte er sich die neue Technik des Buchdrucks zunutze, baute Netzwerke auf und schuf gemeinsam mit Lucas Cranach für sich und seine Lehre eine eigene Markenidentität. Andrew Pettegree zeichnet nach, wie es Luther gelang, sich in der Öffentlichkeit zu positionieren – als Kritiker der katholischen Kirche, als Vorkämpfer für Frauenrechte, als Demagoge, der auch gegen Juden wetterte. Er schildert den nachhaltigen Einfluss, den die Reformation auf das Buchgewerbe hatte, und umgekehrt. Vor allem aber erzählt er eine der wohl spannendsten Geschichten der Neuzeit: wie ein einfacher Mönch zum ersten Star des Medienzeitalters aufstieg.

The dawn of print was a major turning point in the early modern world. This book reconstructs the first 150 years of the world of print, exploring the complex web of religious, economic and cultural concerns surrounding the printed word.

"Long before the invention of printing, let alone the availability of a daily newspaper, people desired to be informed. In the pre-industrial era news was gathered and shared through conversation and gossip, civic ceremony, celebration, sermons, and proclamations. The age of print brought pamphlets, edicts, ballads, journals, and the first news-sheets, expanding the news community from local to worldwide. This groundbreaking book tracks the history of news in ten countries over the course of four centuries. It evaluates the unexpected variety of ways in which information was transmitted in the premodern world as well as the impact of expanding news media on contemporary events and the lives of an ever-more-informed public. Andrew Pettegree investigates who controlled the news and who reported it; the use of news as a tool of political protest and religious reform; issues of privacy and titillation; the persistent need for news to be current and journalists trustworthy; and people's changed sense of themselves as they experienced newly opened windows on the world. By the close of the eighteenth century, Pettegree concludes, transmission of news had become so efficient and widespread that European citizens-now aware of wars, revolutions, crime, disasters, scandals, and other events-were poised to emerge as actors in the great events unfolding around them."

This fascinating history uncovers for the first time a largely overlooked aspect of the Dutch Golden Age : an obsession with books. Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen show how the Dutch reshaped the seventeenth-century book world and, in the process, produced and owned more books per capita than any other people in Europe.

This title provides a revolutionary look at Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the birth of publishing, on the eve of the Reformation's 500th anniversary

The dramatic and contested history of the library, from the ancient world to the digital age  Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes, or filled with bean bags and children’s drawings—the history of the library is rich, varied, and stuffed full of incident. In The Library, historians Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world’s great collections, trace the rise and fall of literary tastes, and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanors committed in pursuit of rare manuscripts. In doing so, they reveal that while collections themselves are fragile, often falling into ruin within a few decades, the idea of the library has been remarkably resilient as each generation makes—and remakes—the institution anew.  Beautifully written and deeply researched, The Library is essential reading for booklovers, collectors, and anyone who has ever gotten blissfully lost in the stacks. 

Princes, collectors, bookworms and thieves: the extraordinary story of the library, from Alexandria to the age of Google.

The book delves into the motivations behind the Reformation, exploring what inspired millions to break from traditional Christianity. Andrew Pettegree analyzes the various media that facilitated this movement, including drama, sermons, songs, and literature. He provides a compelling perspective on how these forms of communication contributed to the Reformation's success as a widespread phenomenon, even in a time when mass literacy was not prevalent. Through this examination, the author sheds light on the transformative power of evangelical teachings during this pivotal historical moment.

A landmark study of single-sheet publishing during the first two centuries after the invention of printing. Long disregarded as ephemera or cheap print, broadsheets emerge as both a crucial communication medium and an essential underpinning of the economics of the publishing industry.