Editio princeps: A History of the Gutenberg Bible by Eric White (Princeton University Library) wins the DeLong Book History Prize 2018, awarded by the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP).
SHARP annually awards the prize to the ‘author of the best book on any aspect of the creation, dissemination or uses of script or print published in the previous year.’
‘This book is breathtakingly erudite, combining archival sleuthing on early business and trade practices with traditional scholarship about provenance and printing. White builds upon and gathers the known facts and myths about the genesis of “the Gutenberg bible.” The study’s tour de force, however, lies in the tracing of ownership history from Mainz in the 15th century to today’s libraries and collectors for every single known copy—using each copy’s unique binding, illuminations, or marginalia as evidence for geographical movement from place to place. (…) This handsomely-illustrated book is deft of touch and can be read or perused by any reader interested in the world’s most famous printed book, while displaying an impressive depth of scholarship. It is a triumphant study.’
(Claire Squires, SHARP’s Director of Publications and Awards)
