Gutenberg's Apprentice Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Fifteenth Century: Dawn of the Age of Invention and our BookBrowse Review of Gutenberg's Apprentice.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The novel begins with Peter Schoeffer telling the story to a writer. In what ways are verbal and written storytelling similar or different?
2. What does Peter retain and lose in his shift from artisan scribe to printmaking engineer?
3. Considering Peter's initial conflict between the scribe's art and the printing press, what's the relationship between art and technology?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Harper Perennial. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.