Electronic publishing in the pre- and post-Gutenberg age

Abstract

Book printing was one of the three inventions that according to Francis Bacon „changed the appearance and state of the whole world". The advent of print brought about inteliectual and social changes across the whole of medieval Europe. The medieval three main parallets one can draw between the changes of the middle ages and today's digital and information oriented world, with relevance to both the public and professionals alike, are as follows: 1) The growth of new media, though comparison is difficult owing to the multi-plicity of electronic media and the uncertainty of CD-ROM's future. 2) The influence of printed matter on social and inteliectual life, e.g. the effects of printed books on religion and society in the middle ages and the struggle for survival today of traditional printed matter in the face of electronic media. 3) The inseparability of content and technology. Publishers (who evolved from printers) must accept that their editohal output is ultimately connected to the delivery systems which brings content into the consumers' hands.