The Justification of Johann Gutenberg [Paperback]

Beginning as the first-person recollections of Gutenberg as an old man in 1464, as he thinks about his end-of-life exile in Eltville, not far from Mainz, the novel establishes both Gutenberg's desire to be remembered and his loneliness. Life for the inventor of something as revolutionary as the printing press has not been easy. Always in debt, never able to repay his creditors, willing to sacrifice the woman he loves for his ambition, and at the mercy of both the guilds, who have a vested interest in having his invention fail, and the church, which fears the potential power of a secular press, Gutenberg's entire life has been a fight. Creditors constantly take him to court, and he often has to start over.

In clear, deceptively simple, and sometimes lyrical prose, Morrison recreates the physical, social, and intellectual environment in which Gutenberg and his acquaintances operate. Gutenberg's first person recollections are sometimes ingenuous, usually honest, occasionally apologetic, and always driven by his ambition "to help words fly as far as doves," by promoting the successful development of his press.

Though the actual Johann Gutenberg is something of a mystery, Morrison adds muscle and tooth to the skeletal framework of what is known, creating a character which, if not realistic, is certainly plausible. Though parts of the book, such as a section about the making of type may not be intriguing to all readers, Morrison sandwiches the technical sections between more personal dramas, like Gutenberg's love interests and the machinations of his enemies to gain his machines. Homely details add color to what might otherwise be a black and white exposition about an arcane subject, while the archaic and formal language helps to create a sense of time and place. Every person who loves or buys books celebrates in some way, however distantly, the achievements of Gutenberg. In this intriguing novel, author Morrison celebrates them without reservation and brings them to life. Mary Whipple

The book is written in the style of a man in his near-blind, bitter old age dictating to his young scribe, so it has that detached feel to it and a relatively stilted delivery. However, this is not unpleasing or intrusive, rather, it gives the book an appeal that it may have lacked if told in the third person as a story, rather than as a biography. It also enables him to speak his mind (as old men do), rationalising his youthful actions as 'justification' of the end result - the greatest invention since the wheel - and at the same time decrying those who wished to benefit unjustly from his industry.
Worst of all, he fears that the name of Gutenberg would be forgotten forever, with others claiming the work for themelves - we, as readers, know this is not the case and the old man can rest easy.

The bones of the book are true - there is some information on Gutenberg's life - but the bulk of the tale is necessarily invention by the author.
Nevertheless, that invention has the ring of truth - one can imagine these things influencing the mind of the young Gutenberg and spurring him to devise his later modifications to the printing process - specifically moveable type - that were to change the human world for ever, despite severe opposition from the church and others.
Perhaps the most outstanding point that comes across is the cost of books in those times; a Bible cost several year's wages - after all, that's the time a scribe took to write it - Gutenberg's invention reduced the cost radically and ensured consistent quality, no mistakes, an unlimited supply and, more to the point, affordability ... to the Church this was the very essence of hubris and heresy, if not devilry! Thank goodness their narrow minds did not prevail.

A very pleasant read.****.