The Emergence of Printing

1. Alphabet- Eastern Mediterranean 2000BC
2. Development of paper: Papyrus 7BC, Parchment 3BC, Vellum, True Paper in China 105AD (1000 years to reach Europe)
3. Block Printing Pi Sheng 1041-48
   1. No Europe/China connection, though trading
4. Playing cards, religious materials
5. Rise in unis led to bigger print demand 13th C
   1. Busy scribes (stationari)!

1. Fall of Constantinople, Ottoman Turks, Perceived threat of Islamic take over, Voyages of discovery, Warfare
   1. France & England '100' Year War
   2. Geographic Mess!
      1. Lots of tiny countries
   3. Upper Strata
      1. Poor folk stay where they are
2. Catholic Church losing power, coming together of Church and State
   1. Humanism, New attitudes
      1. Renaissance!
3. The right ingredients for a new invention!
   1. Public Attitude
   2. Mechanical Capabilities

1. Paper, Ink and the idea of press existing
   1. Metalwork: creating lots of letters- solution needed
      1. Gutenberg

         Annotations:

         • Stephen Fry documentary:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6KmzuULPmQ
         1. Mainz 1397?- 1468 (dies in poverty, press taken by backers)
         2. 1442- 11 line indulgence
            1. 1450 Gutenberg Bible 42 line, 300 sheets a day, est. 200 copies available
            2. Incunabula- material printed in first 50 years
2. Slow spread through Europe (only through Germans)
   1. 1465 Italy, 1468 Switz, 1470 France, 1474 Spain, 1476 England,
      1. Venice: big centre of printing

1. William Caxton

   Annotations:

   • In Our Time, Caxton:  http://castroller.com/podcasts/InOurTime2/3054732
   1. Kentish Merchant in Europe
      1. Connected with Margaret of York
      2. Learnt printing in Cologne, goes to Court in Bruges
         1. 1474/5 The Recuyell of Histories of Troy
            1. In Bruges, First book to be printed in English
   2. Importance
      1. Produces stories, not just religious material like Germans
         1. Sets up in Westminster 1476, produces for patrons of Royal Court, commisioned
      2. Printed, sold, imported, managed other printers, translated, researched, edited
         1. Invents Gothic type
         2. Bad spacing! Canterberry Tales
   3. Commercial Success
      1. No religious materials, romances and stories
      2. Standardised English
      3. Different market

Annotations:

• The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe, Eisenstein:  http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9781139197038