Before Class 02/17/10

Before JoHann Gutenberg invented movable type and the printing press books and manuscripts were extremely rare. A manuscript took four to five months to complete and owning a copy of one was like owning a very large piece of land. Only the wealthy were able to have copies. Cambridge University had only 122 manuscripts books in 1424. The world was quite different them and knowledge could not be easily accessed unless you were to come into money. For those who were not literate or did not have money, they had playing cards. Although they were outlawed, kings and peasants alike all enjoyed playing cards. They were the first access some people had to creations from a printing press. European block printings were also a type of creation that was preceded the printing press. Woodcut pictures with religious text were carved into wood and often highlighted with watercolor paints. They were like modern day comic books, and easy for the semi-literate to understand. One common subject was the "Art of Dying." These woodcuts instructed people how to die and reach heaven. This was a necessary publication because the Black Plague was sweeping across Europe and many people were dying.
Although there was much controversy Johann Gutenberg was relentless in his quest to invent the printing press. He was sued, ostracized, had several jobs, and moved several times but in the end he created the printing press. He was trained as a goldsmith and familiar with metalworking and engraving. This was useful because he had the knowledge to know what metals would withstand repeated pressure and heat. His first typographic book was the "forty-two-line Bible." His dedication to printing left him bankrupt at times but he was determined to perfect his invention. In 1459 the Rationale Divinorum Officiorum was created. It was the first books with "small sized type style." Although Fust and Gutenberg had success in Mainz, Germany printing presses did not stay there and soon moved to France and Italy because of civil war. Gutenberg is also credited with creating copperplate engraving, however no one is for certain if it was him.
What I found most interesting was learning how rare books were. My house probably has a few hundred books in it. Knowledge about a range of subjects is available to me through them. However, this was not the case in the 1400's. I find is amazing the advances technology has had in spreading knowledge.
I would be curious to know when the first library was created.