Levack, Brian, –The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe, Pearson, 1995 

Brian P. Levack is an author and American historian focused on early Britain and Europe. He graduated Fordham University summa cum laude in 1965 and then got his Ph.D. from Yale in 1970. The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe is a nonfiction book that examines the history and context of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, exploring the underlying factors that led to the event. In this section of book, Levack provides context on the events leading up to the trials, such as how the rumors of supernatural beings began. Levack believes that the development of literature in the 1600s played a significant role in the Salem Witch Trials, acting as the main vehicle for transmitting knowledge at the time. By writing this book, Levack aims to explain the historical context of the witch hunt and the factors that fueled the fear of witchcraft, leading to the persecution of innocent people. He argues that advancements in writing contributed to the spread of misinformation about witches. 

Newman, Sophia, –So, Gutenberg Didn’t Actually Invent Printing As We Know It., Literary Hub, 2019 

M. Sophia Newman is a writer and medical editor from Chicago. She began her journalism career in 2013 and has since been recognized for her work in Ghana, Bangladesh, and France. So, Gutenberg Didn’t Actually Invent Printing As We Know It is an online book review published on the Literary Hub website. In this article, she reviews Margaret Leslie Davis’s book, The Lost Gutenberg: The Astounding Story of One Book’s Five-Hundred-Year Odyssey, calling out discrepancies and analyzing the unseen history of the Gutenberg press. The main idea of Newman’s article is that the printing process was invented centuries before the inventor of the Gutenberg press was even born. She says that printing began around 800 AD in China, highlighting that in 1234 AD, a civil minister created a way of printing books that was quite similar to the Gutenberg press. Newman’s purpose in this article is to clarify a widely believed misconception about the creation of the printing press. She believes the civil minister should be credited instead of Gutenberg.   

Eisenstein, Elizabeth, –Some Features of Print Culture, Cambridge University Press, 1979 

Elizabeth Eisenstein was an American historian and an expert in print culture and early modern history. She got her undergraduate degree at Vassar College and later completed her Ph.D. in early modern European history at Radcliffe College, a women’s institution of Harvard University. Her essay, The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, in which she details the revolutionary effects of the printing press on early modern society, helped establish her career as a historian of print culture. In the section, “Some Features of Print Culture”, Eisenstein argues that the printing press fundamentally changed how information was accessed. Her purpose is to direct attention to the great impact printing has had on our society since its inception. One notable example mentioned in this section is her argument that the invention of printing directly connects to the spread of misinformation and stereotypical ideas.  

Turkle, Sherry, –The Assault on Empathy, The Behavioral Scientist, 2018 

Sherry Turkle is an American psychologist and professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She focuses her research on the psychology of human relationships with technology, a topic she has written several books on. The Assault on Empathy is an essay published in The Behavioral Scientist magazine in 2018. In this essay, Turkle explores studies on the younger generations and their ability to empathize with each other. She presents studies supporting her claim that young kids are not connecting with each other or learning empathy as a result of the presence of technology. Turkle’s purpose is to analyze the lack of empathy shown by younger generations and explain how technology is likely a factor that contributed to this empathy gap. Turkle includes the findings of psychologist Sara Konrath in her essay, studies that show a decline in empathy among college students after the 2000’s.  

Handley, Lucy, –Physical Books Still Outsell E-books. Here’s Why., CNBC, 2019 

Lucy Handley is a freelance reporter at CNBC in London, where she writes for the CNBC’s Art of Appreciation report. She has also written for other major publications such as, The Guardian, TIME, and National Geographic. In her article, Physical Books Still Outsell E-books. Here’s Why, Handley explores the popularity of physical books over E-books, despite popular belief that physical books would come to an end. Handley’s main goal is to explain the appeal of physical books in an age of modern technology. Many believed E-books would gain more popularity over physical books, but studies will actually show the opposite, with book publishers making almost $26 billion in revenue in 2018. One argument Handley makes is that those who enjoy reading often love displaying their books, like a physical collection.