Goodbye Gutenberg: For Educators

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Writing in the Spirit of the Times

Chapter 16
The Visual Vernacular

In this playful and exuberant chapter — which contains dozens of gorgeous, full color, computer animations from the Book of Kells never before seen in a book — you will discover:

The “real” translator of the King James Bible, and why he was burned at the stake
How Martin Luther used his vernacular translation of the Bible to launch the Reformation

Why Dante

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82-83

wrote the Divine Comedy in Italian, not Latin, and why the great philosopher Descartes wrote in French and not Latin

Unprecedented opportunities for young writers to create a new vernacular… not seen since the days of Shakespeare

If there is one lesson we can learn from history – whether from Jerome or Dante or Petrarch or Descartes or Luther or Tyndale – it is that to reach the people, to have a lasting impact, you must write in the vernacular of your day. The black and white books of today are like the Latin books of Luther’s day — read by the studious few. Only when we write in the vernacular — the visual vernacular — will we experience a Renaissance worthy of our technology and our heritage.”
From Goodbye Gutenberg, The Visual Vernacular, page 349

“I was recently given the opportunity to read this book and have ambled leisurely through each page, gaining new insights for the motivation of young people, raised in a society characterized by visual bombardment, to discover or rediscover the love of learning from books.”
Steven K. Szmutko

Click on any of the thumbnails at left
See why early reviewers have been astonished by these imaginative designs... Find out why they have hailed Goodbye Gutenberg as the blueprint for the coming Renaissance in literature and the arts... Or click here for a complete, chapter by chapter tour.

A Once In A Lifetime Opportunity

Dear Friend,

I am a high school teacher at a public school in the Bronx, not a salesperson, so I can’t give you a “sales pitch” here. I can only tell you a little more about this first edition, what makes it so special, and why at this price it is an amazing bargain.

The price is attractive even if it were not a first edition. Books with this much high quality artwork typically sell for $75 - $125 — or even more. One of the books in my library, which I discuss in Goodbye Gutenberg, is entitled, Mira Calligraphae Monumentae. It is published by the renowned J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and sells for $150. Now consider the price: $150. First, there is nothing rare or unusual about this Getty Museum book. Second, the book is literally half the size of Goodbye Gutenberg and has only one third the number of images. Yet it sells for more than three times than Goodbye Gutenberg.

If you visit the websites of leading art, design and coffee table book publishers, you will find many that are priced in the $60.00 - $90.00 range. They rarely — if ever — offer as many high quality images as Goodbye Gutenberg. They rarely contain such groundbreaking designs. And they rarely are first editions.

If you are reading this page, it’s probably because you know someone who has a copy of Goodbye Gutenberg and you’ve probably seen the actual book yourself. At the very least, you have clicked on the pop-up windows and seen the gorgeous full-color pages throughout this website. You know what a rare and extraordinary a find this is. And you can own Goodbye Gutenberg for only $47.95.

You can still own a limited first edition printing… but hurry!
Only 4,700 copies of Goodbye Gutenberg were printed. When this edition sells out, that's it, there will never be another chance to own a limited first printing. Just to give you an idea of the potential value that books can have, consider just a few of the first editions by contemporary authors that have appreciated dramatically over the past 20 years:

Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire: $1,000
Thomas Pynchon, V: $3,000
Alice Walker, Once: $1,500
Toni Morrison,The Bluest Eye: $5,000
Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird: $20,000
Sue Grafton: A is for Alibi: $1,500
Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red October: $1,250

Source: Firsts Magazine, December 2001

Now I can't guarantee that in 20 years Goodbye Gutenberg will be worth a million dollars. But I can guarantee that you will be amazed, stunned, absolutely flabbergasted by this book. At the very least, you will consider it gorgeous and want to keep it for a lifetime. You will want to share it with family and friends. If not, just send it back for a full refund. No hassles, no questions asked.

Guaranteed to astonish – or your money back
This limited edition of Goodbye Gutenberg will go on sale December 1, 2004. I am offering you a chance to reserve your special autographed edition today. If you send me an email now and let me know you are interested, I will send you a special coupon which will allow you to purchase Goodbye Gutenberg at a discount. You are not required to leave a credit card. I am making this special offer only to those who heard about this website from friends and family.

This edition of Goodbye Gutenberg is more than just a book and more than just another Christmas present. It is a cultural heirloom for your family, a gem to own and cherish for a lifetime. But don't wait another moment! This most amazing and unique holiday gift will soon be gone. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Just email me at val@goodbyegutenberg.com, let me know you are interested, and I will email you a few days before the book becomes available. At that time you will receive your coupon and 30 day, risk free offer.

You can’t lose
With a 30 day free trial, you truly can’t lose. I’m so confident that you’ll be thrilled and delighted with this book that you will want to treasure it and share it with family and friends for a lifetime.

Please feel free to email me with any questions.

Warmly,

Valerie Kirschenbaum
val@goodbyegutenberg.com

PS
This special limited first edition of Goodbye Gutenberg is being made available to United States customers only.

Writing in the Spirit of the Times

Chapter 16 The Visual Vernacular

In this playful and exuberant chapter — which contains dozens of gorgeous, full color, computer animations from the Book of Kells never before seen in a book — you will discover:

Chapter 16
The Visual Vernacular