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History of printing and its effects
History of printing and its effects
Development of the printing press
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Early Printing in Spain and the New World
What I hope to do in this paper is to show the influence and individuality of printing in Spain in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, from its inception to its significant direction in the early printing of books in New Spain (Mexico, Central America) and Latin America and to explore further, the idea of the printing press as a global networking system with the book as its essential commodity.
First, I will give a brief history of early printing in Spain, the evolving political landscape at the time and the influence it had on manuscript production, as I feel it is necessary to understand how that environment shaped not only printing, but also literacy in the New World. Followed by a discussion and outline of printing in colonial Spanish America and how books being printed there differed from early manuscripts in Europe. The essay concludes with a summary of how education and open dialogue has influenced the character and the direction of how books are made in these parts of the world today.
Spain
Compared to most places in Europe at the time, printing in Spain got a rather late start. It was introduced to Spain by German craftsmen in the year 1474, the same year that Isabella I, wife of Ferdinand of
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The kingdom of Naples, in the southern region of Italy is conquered by Ferdinand and annexed to Aragon around the turn of the century. Spain was led to contend with France for the dominion of Italy. In 1519, Charles lost his paternal grandfather and therein succeeded the Austrian territory, including the Netherlands and also added the Duchy of Milan to his domain and also acquired the territory that would eventually come to be known as the ‘New World.’ This was an enormous gain for Spain. Charles, now ‘Emperor Charles V,’ spent a lot of time away from Spain on vast European excursions to these newly acquired
Books today are everywhere. We find them in many households, libraries and schools all around the globe. We find many different types of books; from stories to educational textbooks, we regard them today as sources of knowledge and amusement. But it wasn’t the case before 1455. That year, one of the greatest inventions in human history was revealed to the world; Gutenberg’s printing press. This press allowed printing in massive quantity, spreading books all around Europe and the rest of the world at a fast rate. The printing press had many positive consequences on society. At first, it standardized grammar and spelling, and then introduced the mass production of books. It finally inspired future printing technologies around the world.
(Hook) Throughout the history of man, there has been numerous achievements in human communication that have changed lives greatly. (Bridge) One of the milestones in communication was the printing press. (Background Info) In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany. By 1600, more than 200 million books had come off the presses. Therefore, an average person living in Europe at the time could own a book, such as a copy of the Bible. As the number of books being produced increased, the literacy rate increased as well. As a result, people started to read and explore topics such as science, religion, and geography. The printing press led to a major price drop in books, more knowledge learned, and many significant events in history, such as the Age of Exploration and the Reformation. (Thesis) I believe that the most crucial consequence of the printing press was the Age of Exploration.
The first printing press was created to make books (Mostly bibles in the day) cheaper and more accessible. At this time only nobles and scribes new how to read and write. In result of this press, written pieces became commonplace making the common people needing to know how to read and write. This literacy spread and spread as the printing press became more common and caused the majority of the world’s people to be as literate as it is today which helped to revolutionize the work
Printing was the main manner in which information and ideas regarding the new world were spread-the impact the Americas had on Europe would have been hampered without printing (65). There emerged many different writers during this time, and through them a few discernable beliefs. Some proclaimed a Golden Age, in which the daily life of Indians were romanticized into lazy freedom. Others used their writings to wage an attack against their political adversaries-Protestants wrote about the atrocities of the Catholic Spaniards, etc. A common theme among the writers of the time was personal gain.
Davidson, Cathy N. Revolution and the Word: The Rise of the Novel in America. New York: Oxford, 1986.
The development of printing from movable type medal was invented in 1450. The renaissance was the first time European civilizations had access to printing. The art of printing made an immediate impact on European intellectual life and thought. The printing of books encouraged the development of scholarly research and the desire to attain knowledge. Printing also stimulated the development of an ever-expanding lay reading public, which had a huge impact on European society. Also, without the printing press, the new religious ideas of the reformation would never have spread as rapidly as they did in the 16th century. A primary source from the impact of printing is the Gutenberg Bible. The first substantial book printed in the West. It was the first Bible that had been printed. This is significant because now middle class individuals can not only own books, but expand their knowledge on religion, as well as learn to read. In the middle ages, books had been cost and education rare; only the clergy had been regular readers sand owners of books. Books were hand-written by scribes or monks and many people did not learn how to read in the Middle Ages. Books were also written in Latin, a language in which only the most educated people could understand. In the renaissance, the educated middle class could now afford books having a choice of choosing different languages. The impact of the printing press not
There was however some reaction against Charles’ activities. Ferdinand of Aragon decreed that since Naples was subject to the papacy, that the Popes honour had been attacked. He formed the League of Venice. His main intentions were to expel Charles and become the ruler of a united Naples, Sicily and Aragon. Charles began to withdraw to France and although he won a battle at Fornovo, his outnumbered garrisons couldn’t retain Naples.
Throughout history, there have been many inventions to help humans communicate, such as the telephone, typewriter, and many more. One great milestone was the printing press. The printing press was invented in 1,450 CE by Johannes Gutenberg. The printing press is a machine that could quickly mass produce books at a cheap cost. He created the invention in Germany. The printing press lead to a higher distribution in books at a lower price. As a result, the literacy rate was increased and more people were able to learn about science, religion, and geology.
Majid, Omar. "The Facts behind the Spanish Inqusition." Pre 1600. Humanities 360, 2 July 2007. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. .
Before this invention, letters, maps, books, messages all had to be written by hand and would be very tedious and require hard work. The bible, which was the most popular book at the time “might require the skins of 300 sheep to make the parchment sheets”(Levack, Muir and Veldman, 2011, p.429) which is very costly and requires many hours of labour to recopy the texts. Because of the heavy cost only the high-class would be able to afford the books. The invention of the moveable metal type as well as the printing press revolutionized books, letters, and maps. It was now easier to print and read the texts that were being copied with this new invention. The following is a part of a letter that the future Pope Prius II wrote to Cardinal Carvajal, detailing how the printing press changed reading and books at the
The History of the Book and the Idea of Literature 121 (2006): 200-213. PMLA. Web. 20
Literature has changed over time. “The “death of print” has been much heralded over the past decade, precipitated by the rising accessibility of devices like tablets and smartphones that have made the electronic medium cheaper and more universal (1).” Literature has evolved
The printing press is considered one of the most important inventions because it made mass production for printed material possible. The result of that leads to a much more educated population. For years prior to the printing, all readable material had to be hand written. This consumed a lot of time and costed a lot of money. The printing press dramatically reduced the time and expense for printed. From the 1500’s to the early 1700’s, the printing press was the most significant invention in which inspired the most change in European society during the Renaissance because it impacted the advancement of civilization rigorously, advanced the flow of education and spread new ideas.
According to the textbook, “ The printing of books encouraged scholarly research and increased the public’s desire to gain knowledge, which would eventually have an enormous impact on European society” (Spielvogel 162). This is true because the printing press was made for books at the time and with those books the Europeans could study religious books to give themselves more knowledge on religion.