Gutenberg's Apprentice

Summary (from the publisher): An enthralling literary debut that evokes one of the most momentous events in history, the birth of printing in medieval Germany—a story of invention, intrigue, and betrayal, rich in atmosphere and historical detail, told through the lives of the three men who made it possible.

Youthful, ambitious Peter Schoeffer is on the verge of professional success as a scribe in Paris when his foster father, wealthy merchant and bookseller Johann Fust, summons him home to corrupt, feud-plagued Mainz to meet “a most amazing man.”

Johann Gutenberg, a driven and caustic inventor, has devised a revolutionary—and to some, blasphemous—method of bookmaking: a machine he calls a printing press. Fust is financing Gutenberg’s workshop and he orders Peter, his adopted son, to become Gutenberg’s apprentice. Resentful at having to abandon a prestigious career as a scribe, Peter begins his education in the “darkest art.”

As his skill grows, so, too, does his admiration for Gutenberg and his dedication to their daring venture: copies of the Holy Bible. But mechanical difficulties and the crushing power of the Catholic Church threaten their work. As outside forces align against them, Peter finds himself torn between two father figures: the generous Fust, who saved him from poverty after his mother died; and the brilliant, mercurial Gutenberg, who inspires Peter to achieve his own mastery.

Caught between the genius and the merchant, the old ways and the new, Peter and the men he admires must work together to prevail against overwhelming obstacles—a battle that will change history . . . and irrevocably transform them.

Review: I received an advance reader's edition of this book from HarperCollins. 

This novel tells the untold story behind Gutenberg's printing press - that of Gutenberg's two key partners. Johann Fust, inspired by Gutenberg's revolutionary idea, agrees to finance the project. In exchange, he urges Gutenberg to agree to take on his adoptive son, Peter Schoeffer, as an apprentice. Told from Peter's perspective, this is the story of the largely agonizingly slow process of developing the printing press and producing roughly 180 copies of the bible. 

This book illustrated the seemingly timeless tension between old tradition and new technology. Peter is very reluctant, indeed angry, to be torn away from his work as a scribe. His adoptive father recognizes that the printing press heralds the death of scribes; "It's over. The life of scribes, the value in your hands - you may as well accept it now" (50). However, Peter is slow to see this reality, and only develops a love and belief in the potential power of the printing press to transform the world slowly over time. 

Christie's narrative is well written. She does an excellent job of imagining what seeing printed words would look like to individuals who had never seen it. "His blood jumped then, his palms grew damp. The textura lettering was squat and ugly, yet every string of letters was unnervingly even, all across the line. Each of those lines ended with an utter, chilling harmony, at precisely the same distance from the edge. What hand could write a line that straight, and end exactly underneath the one above? What human hand could possibly achieve a thing so strange? He felt his heart squeeze and his soul flood with an overwhelming dread" (18). She captures the thrill and awe of something entirely previously unimagined and inconceivable and conveys it to readers who have never known a world without the impact of Gutenberg's idea. 

I was surprised to see that there seems to have been backlash over the printing press as unnatural and even sinful or as a priest responds "only devilry could make this thing" (369). Indeed, the company must take great lengths to hide the press, in part because of general opinion of it, but also to prevent others from stealing their idea. Additionally, I was surprised to see the novel's depiction of Gutenberg, which portrays him as selfish and cruel. 

I was excited to read this work of historical fiction because I have never read many details behind the history of the creation of the printing press. However, I found this dragged for me. The characters lacked depth and seemed stilted. Additionally, the majority of the book seemed repetitive and consisted of setting type for ages. Realistic, yes, but not intriguing to read in a fictional work. Additionally, the author seems to have tried to throw too much history into the book, including politics, finances, merchant practices of the time, and numerous other, often extraneous details. At times, I felt that the subject would have worked better as a non-fiction work. However, I suppose Peter Schoeffer's version of events could not have been explored had it not been depicted in this work of fiction. 

Stars: 3