What is important about this period from 1600-1800 is the rise of nationalism, rationalism and scientific empiricism.
Styles pass from the flamboyance of the Baroque to the Rococo to Neoclassicism.
Book trade grew dramatically serving as a powerful instrument to Enlightenment.
Book design played a role in the creation of what is known as the public sphere, a virtual space made through the exchange of ideas and information.
Communities of belief were built on shared reading and thought rather than a common location. New sheets circulated with an air of relevance and urgency and the design of these media helped define what was current and important. In fact the public sphere in the 17th and 18th centuries depended on the availability of printed matter.
Hobbes' Leviathan (1600's).