katherine montaltokatherine_montalto@zirk.us
Oct 9, 2026, 8:13 PM@timtfj that book looks amazing! I wish I understood Norwegian. The book-makers is an excellent book. Especially if your interested in language history
Replies
Tim Jtimtfj@mastodon.socialOct 10, 2026, 11:24 PM@katherine_montalto Do you have more details of the book about printing? It sounds like one I'd enjoy reading, especially if it goes into the history of types of printing press and so on.
- katherine montaltokatherine_montalto@zirk.usOct 14, 2026, 5:55 PM
@timtfj So for the late reply. The book is,
The Book-Makers
A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives
By Adam Smyth
I got my copy from bookshop dot org
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-makers-a-history-of-the-book-in-eighteen-lives-adam-smyth/bf9772aaa63f297c?ean=9781541605640 - Tim Jtimtfj@mastodon.socialOct 14, 2026, 6:49 PM
@katherine_montalto Thanks! It looks as though there's a nicely affordable paperback available here, too: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-makers-a-history-of-the-book-in-18-remarkable-lives-adam-smyth/28e64aa050c42c8d
- katherine montaltokatherine_montalto@zirk.usOct 14, 2026, 11:12 PM
@timtfj very nice! it was first published in the UK so they must have got the paperback sooner. Let me know if you read it. I really liked it.
- Tim Jtimtfj@mastodon.socialOct 14, 2026, 11:44 PM
@katherine_montalto I actually tried to order it from that page this evening, but couldn't get the payment to go through! I've a feeling that happened previously when I tried to order something from them. I'll definitely let you know if I manage to get hold of it. :-)
- katherine montaltokatherine_montalto@zirk.usOct 14, 2026, 11:45 PM
@timtfj maybe your local library has a copy
- Tim Jtimtfj@mastodon.socialOct 14, 2026, 11:49 PM
@katherine_montalto They might! It looks like the sort of thing someone might suggest/request.
- Tim Jtimtfj@mastodon.socialOct 15, 2026, 2:36 AM
@katherine_montalto Ordered it from Waterstones :-)
- Tim Jtimtfj@mastodon.socialOct 10, 2026, 11:50 PM
@katherine_montalto It's a nice language. I didn't learn it a very conventional way, because I couldn't find a tutor book or similar at the time. I did find a basic grammar book though, and set about learning it through interacting on Twitter! It was an interesting process.
I think the grammar is simpler than English in some ways. E.g. verbs just have one form for each tense, so there's no "ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist"—present tense is just "jeg er, du er" etc., with "er" for each person.
- Tim Jtimtfj@mastodon.socialOct 10, 2026, 11:52 PM
@katherine_montalto ("Er" is pronounced like English "are").