The Printing Press
Before the Printing Press Books were written before the printing press but how were copies of books created? People (usually Monks living in Monasteries) had to copy them by hand What effect might this have had on the world and the people living before the Printing Press?
Early Printing Woodblock Printing Used in China as early as 200 A.D. Japan and Korea also used this method of printing Asian alphabets had thousands of letters – hard to catch on
Johann Gutenberg From a small German town He combined earlier methods (woodblock printing, new types of paper, new scripts, etc.) into one to create the printing press Around 1450, Gutenberg discovers that a traditional wine press can be turned into a “Printing” press
Wine Press
Gutenberg Bible
Importance? Makes books, newspapers, etc. more easily available People more interested in becoming literate (learning how to read and write) Spreads ideas very quickly (the ideas from the Reformation and Scientific Revolution, etc.) Increases knowledge Printed in languages the people understood (not just Latin) What things in our society today stem from the invention of the Printing Press?