Books - The Printing Press

It was in 1450 that the world of printing changed forever.  Johannes Gutenberg took ideas that the Chinese had been using for several hundred years and developed a machine that could mass produce books, pamphlets, and notices at an unheard of rate.  It came at a perfect time as unrest was spreading throughout Europe.

Martin Luther’s German translation of the Christian Bible was printed using the press.  This made the Bible available for the first time in history to all mankind and even in their own native tongue. 

The printing press would be the exploding turn in the history of books that would change the world forever.  For the first time, a book could be printed in hours and days instead of decades.  A book could be printed more than once in a few days instead of one copy in a lifetime.

Political propaganda could be quickly spread throughout a land in such a way that politics became more open and public.  Religious works were mass produced including sermons and commentary.  Books of poetry became more numerous.

The printing press shaped the world we live in today.  Without it, history would be so different.  How far would religious thought have spread?  How much influence would governments have had over the people?  How fast would minds be inspired to create the light bulb, automobile, or new surgical techniques?

Through the wonder of the printing press, ideas, romance, imagination, religion, and even freedom was discovered.  The mass printing of Uncle Tom's Cabin many people were influenced during the American Civil War in regard to slavery.  Aristotle’s works went beyond dusty libraries and were available for the common man to work.  The written word has drastically influenced history.

Books have come from clay tablets that available only to the government or the rich to easy to carry paperbacks that fit in a pocket that everyone can have.  Ideas flow from country to country.  Discoveries are revealed and expounded on through the various books that can be found in coffee shops, libraries, and even our book shelves.