Elizabeth L. Eisenstein (1979): The Printing Press as an Agent of Change

The chapter focuses on a foundational text in the fields of media and communication history, book history, and print culture studies: Elizabeth L. Eisenstein’s comprehensive two-volume work, The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, first published in 1979. Apart from outlining Eisenstein’s key perspectives, arguments, and findings, the chapter brings up the historical and scholarly context in which her book was written and the main reasons for its immediate and broad impact on the scholarly community in Europe and North America. The chapter also discusses the reception, the critique and controversies, and the lingering legacy and relevance of Eisenstein’s work along with some of its resonance in the digital age.