The Labor of Print

Though they discuss a range of historical periods, from the the early modern to the nineteenth century, all of our readings—including the optional reading from Gitelman—can help us understand the daily labor that underlay the production of texts during the centuries we call the hand press period. To start us thinking about labor and textual production during this era, choose two specific quotes from today’s readings—each from a different piece—and bring them into conversation. What aspect of the print economy does each quote illuminate for you, and how do these two aspects speak to each other?