A dictionary of Marshall McLuhan’s quotations

The invention of printing did away with anonymity, fostering ideas of literary fame and the habit of considering intellectual effort as private property. Mechanical multiples of the same text created a public—a reading public. The rising consumer-oriented culture became concerned with labels of authenticity and protection against theft and piracy. The idea of copyright—”the exclusive right to reproduce, publish, and sell the matter and form of a literary or artistic work”—was born.”
The Medium Is the Massage (1967), p 122
Year: 1967
Chapter: Book
Compiled by William Kuhns
© 2026, The Estate of Marshall McLuhan