The History of Print Spring 07

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The History of PrintSpring 07

• Thought of the Day - (a Knights Motto)
• Live Pure, Speak True, Right Wrong, Follow the
  King
• - Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1883)

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Early Books to 400 AD

• From 3500 BC to 4th century
• Clay Tablets
• Papyrus scrolls
• Parchment (Vellum)
• First Paper
• Romans invented bound book in 4th century AD
• Parchment tied with cords in wood covers

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Clay Tablet Papyrus Leaflet

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Books 400 - 1450s AD

• People illiterate
• Priests, Monks, Political leaders - literate
• Books handwritten
• Except for some official documents in China
  Korea
• Pi Sheng developed movable clay type
• Books reverenced
• Manuscripts were Illuminated

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Illuminated Manuscripts

• Battle of Lechfeld

• Book of Hours (left)
• Book of Psalms (right)

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See Video

• The Name of the Rose
• Mysterious death at a monastery.
• William (Connery) investigates (w/apprentice
  Slater)
• Library others have died after having read a
  book.
• Common to lick finger to turn page
• Poisonous book! ?

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Welcome our Guest Speaker

• Brother Perry
• Monastery of the Printed Word

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Cultural Power

• Power was held by the literate in this early
  culture
• Political Leaders
• Church Leaders
• Books kept by church (in Latin)
• Mostly religious but not all
• History
• Science
• Philosophy

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The First Printing Press

• Johannes Gutenberg -
• 1456 (1446-1456)
• movable, reusable type
• Mazarine (or Gutenberg) Bible
• Bibles became cheaper
• Spread outside churchs keeping
• Church used to chain Bibles in sanctuary
• Printed copies became less illuminated

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Books 1456 - 1500

• Presses with movable type spread
• England - William Caxton 1476
• Printed first English language book in 1474
• 30 - 35,000 different books printed by 1500
• Millions of volumes available
• In hands of clergy
• and elite classes

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Protestant Reformation

• Martin Luthers 95 theses
• 1517 response to sale of indulgences
• Door of the castle chapel in Wittenberg, Germany
• Decried as heretic
• Supported by Wittenberg faculty
• Supported by many political leaders
• Caused a split in the church

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Books bring Puritans to America

• Broke off from Church of England
• Set sail for America to worship their way
• Books were initially imported from Europe

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First Press in America

• 1644 (1638) - press set up at Harvard
• Named for John Harvards book donation
• Cambridge Press printed - religious books,
  government documents, school books, and student
  theses
• First Book - The Whole Booke
• of Psalms or The Bay Psalm Book

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Other Book Impacts

• 1644 - John Milton -
• Aeropagetica
• Better Crops, Housing, Laws, Governing
• Created spare time
• Romance Novels
• Travel Guides