ABSTRACT
This paper presents portions of a work that is still in progress. It deals with "the force, effect, and consequences" of the first invention singled out by Bacon. Much has been written about how the way was paved for Gutenberg's invention and about the problem of defining just what he did invent. There are few studies, however, of the consequences that ensued once the new process had been launched.1 Explicit theories as to what these consequences were have not yet been framed, let alone tested or contested. To develop such theories is much easier said than done. Still, I think the effort should be made. Consequences entailed by a major transformation have to be reckoned with whether we pay attention to them or not. In one guise or another they will enter into our accounts and can best be dealt with when they do not slip in unobserved.
