New Book: The Postal Revolution
Title: The Postal Revolution: Courier Networks in Italy, 1260-1600
Author: Juraj Kittler
Publisher: Brill (Leiden, NL)
Publication Date: July 2025
This monograph explores the impact of expanding long-distance communication networks on late medieval business, politics, diplomacy, international law, and personal freedom.
The author argues that the earliest modern ‘telecommunication network’ was trailblazed initially by pedestrian and later also mounted couriers in the context of Italy. In their initial stage, postal operations were at the heart of the commercial revolution that transformed late medieval banking and commerce. In their next stage, they were also essential to the formation of centralized states and early modern diplomacy. Subsequently, expanding access to postal services during the Renaissance was likewise instrumental to the inception of the Republic of Letters, while travel by the posts fostered personal freedom and mobility.
The emergence of the earliest postal networks is therefore presented in this volume as the opening stage of an entire series of subsequent communications revolutions that ushered in the modern era.
Juraj Kittler, Ph.D.
Professor, Digital Media and Film (DMF) and English Departments
St. Lawrence University
23 Romoda Dr.
Canton, NY 13617
Cell Phone: 717-350-4804
E-mail: jkittler@stlawu.edu