‘The history of the Reformation is very largely a history of books and publication,” writes Marilynne Robinson in an essay on the schism within Western Christianity and one of the great seismic movements of the last millennium. On the eve of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation comes this volume by the British historian Andrew Pettegree, which demonstrates how the writings of the seminal figure in the movement, Martin Luther, electrified Germany, recasting religious thought and revolutionizing the printing industry. What Robinson calls the “bookishness” of the Reformation can be attributed to Martin Luther and his proficiency with the written word: his style, his output, and his fascination for (and close involvement with) the printing process. Luther, Pettegree argues, became the world’s first mass media figure, an instantly recognizable and eminently profitable product. Brand Luther is the original tale of an unparalleled marketing force.