Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian philosopher and media theorist, wrote several influential books on the role of media and technology in shaping human consciousness and culture.
Some of McLuhan’s most famous books include:
- The Gutenberg Galaxy: the making of typographic man (1962) – In this book, McLuhan examines the impact of the printing press on human culture, arguing that it created a new form of consciousness characterized by rationality, individualism and linearity.
- Understanding Media: the extensions of man (1964) – This book is perhaps McLuhan’s most famous work and provides an overview of his ideas about media ecology. McLuhan argues that different media technologies have different effects on human perception and behavior, and that understanding these effects is essential to understanding the impact of media on human society and culture.
- The Medium is the Massage: an inventory of effects (1967) – This book, which was co-authored by graphic designer Quentin Fiore, explores the impact of different media technologies on human consciousness and behavior. The title is a play on McLuhan’s famous phrase ‘the medium is the message’.
- From Cliché to Archetype (1970) – In this book, McLuhan and co-author Wilfred Watson explore the ways in which media and technology have transformed human perception of archetypes and cultural symbols.
- War and peace in the Global Village (1968) – This book explores the ways in which new media technologies are collapsing time and space, creating a more interconnected world. McLuhan argues that these changes have important implications for international relations and human consciousness.