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Publish or Perish: The Impact of Printing on the Protestant Reformation

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September 27 - January 28, 2018
12:00AM - 1:00AM
Ohio State University, Thompson Library

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Add to Calendar 2017-09-27 00:00:00 2018-01-28 01:00:00 Publish or Perish: The Impact of Printing on the Protestant Reformation “Publish or Perish: The Impact of Printing on the Protestant Reformation” When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg in October 1517, he was merely doing what any other professor with a set of statements for debate might do. He drew up his points, had them printed, and posted them to inspire debate. Luther could hardly have known that by the end of the 16th century this simple act of publication would be just the first of nearly 5,000 separate editions of his works printed in Germany alone. The first three years of the Reformation (1518-1520) saw total book production in Germany quadruple, with a further doubling of production by 1524. As the years rolled on and more writers entered the fray, the publishing industry expanded to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for books. For the evangelical reformers and the Catholics who opposed them, it truly was a situation of “publish or perish.” Print your ideas, disseminate them as widely and quickly as possible, or else face defeat—and event possible torture and death—in the struggle for hearts, minds, and souls. Curated by Dr. Eric J. Johnson, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at The Ohio State University, this exhibition features original manuscript and printed materials selected from OSU’s substantial Reformation-era collections in its Rare Books & Manuscripts Library. The exhibition opens today, 27 September 2017, and will run through 28 January 2018. http://go.osu.edu/publishorperish Ohio State University, Thompson Library Center for the Study of Religion religion@osu.edu America/New_York public
“Publish or Perish: The Impact of Printing on the Protestant Reformation”
 
When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg in October 1517, he was merely doing what any other professor with a set of statements for debate might do. He drew up his points, had them printed, and posted them to inspire debate. Luther could hardly have known that by the end of the 16th century this simple act of publication would be just the first of nearly 5,000 separate editions of his works printed in Germany alone.
 
The first three years of the Reformation (1518-1520) saw total book production in Germany quadruple, with a further doubling of production by 1524. As the years rolled on and more writers entered the fray, the publishing industry expanded to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for books. For the evangelical reformers and the Catholics who opposed them, it truly was a situation of “publish or perish.” Print your ideas, disseminate them as widely and quickly as possible, or else face defeat—and event possible torture and death—in the struggle for hearts, minds, and souls.
 
Curated by Dr. Eric J. Johnson, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at The Ohio State University, this exhibition features original manuscript and printed materials selected from OSU’s substantial Reformation-era collections in its Rare Books & Manuscripts Library.
 
The exhibition opens today, 27 September 2017, and will run through 28 January 2018.