In this book, McLuhan, the original "media guru," analyzes the effects of mass media, especially the printing press, on European culture and human consciousness. The book popularized the term "global village," which refers to the idea that mass communication allows a village-like mindset to apply to the entire world. The Gutenberg Galaxy itself is the accumulated body of recorded works of human art and knowledge, especially books. This publication established McLuhan as one of the Western world's most influential and controversial communications writers, catapulting him to fame.
