An invention is not a revolution, it is only the beginning of a journey. Inventions introduce innovation into our society, revolutions happen when innovation spreads and dramatically changes our everyday life.

The 15cBOOKTRADE Project at the University of Oxford studies the economic and social impact of the invention of printing on early modern European society. For many years, and in collaboration with hundreds of European and American libraries, we have been gathering data from the thousands of books which still survive today and analysed them with innovative digital technology.

From September 2018 to April 2019 an exhibition was held in the rooms of the Correr Museum and of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice. A catalogue was published by Marsilio, Venice. The 15 videos produced for the exhibition are here made available in their context.

This exhibition explains WHY and HOW the printing revolution took place in Europe. There are important lessons to be learned.