![]() ![]() In 1759, when the first edition was published, every letter was typeset in metal – every page was considered and typeset by hand before being printed by letterpress. ![]() Comparing the first and most recent editions also tells another story of the developments in the printing and publishing industry. The physical appearance of the text on the pages of the first edition – its typography – is inseparable from the text itself. Publishing made it possible for Sterne to reach a large number of people who would be the readers and audience to the political and conceptual subtexts within. ![]() In this autobiographical novel, Laurence Sterne narrates, through the maverick character Tristram Shandy, the struggle of writing and publishing the very book in your hand. Printed books made it possible to give words and ideas a durable and substantial form, in multiple identical copies of the same. At a time where printed texts for a ‘mass’ audience were only just replacing manuscripts and oral performance, this book stands out as remarkably visual and modern for its time. ![]() The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman was originally published in the late 18th century in nine volumes, and has since been published in over 120 different editions. ![]()
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