History - Print Culture and The Modern World 01 - Class Notes - (10th Board Booster 2024)

2024
History
Print Culture
& The Modern World
Lecture No.- 01
By- Riya Chouhan Ma’am

1) The First Printed Books
2) Print Comes to Europe
3) The Print Revolution and Its Impact
4) The Reading Mania

The First Printed Books
Earliest Printing technology :
● Developed in China, Japan and Korea.
● System of hand printing.
Growth of printing due to :
● Increase in civil service exam candidate and hence

the textbooks printing boosted.
● Use of print diversified, not just read by scholars but

also by merchants ,women, etc.
● Western printing techniques and mechanical presses

were imported, Shanghai became the hub.
Chinese ‘accordion book’
Print in Japan
● Hand printing technology introduced by Buddhist

missionaries (AD 768-770)
● Buddhist Diamond Sutra Oldest Japanese book, AD 868,

Contains six sheets of text and woodcut illustrations.
● Medieval Japan : Pictures printed on textile, paper money,

books cheap and abundant.
● Printing of visual material led to : Interesting publishing

practise at Edo (Tokyo)
Tripitaka Koreana are a Korean collection of Buddhist scriptures

They were engraved on about 80,000 woodblocks
Print Comes to Europe
Key points to remember :
● Through silk route, paper reached along with textiles from China .
● Made possible production of manuscripts.
● 1295, Marco Polo brought with him technique of woodblock printing to

Italy, widespread.
● Luxury edition still written on vellum.
● Demand rose, but copying was expensive, laborious and time

consuming.
…Necessity is the mother of discovery
Strasbourg, Germany, where Johann Gutenberg developed the first-known

printing press in the 1430s
Print Comes to Europe
Gutenberg and the Printing Press

The Print Revolution and Its Impact
What was the print revolution?
It was not just a development, a new way of producing books; it

transformed the lives of people, changing their relationship to
information and knowledge, and with institutions and authorities.
It influenced popular perceptions and opened up new ways of
looking at things.
A New Reading Public
With the printing press, a new reading public emerged.
● Time and labour reduced, multiple copies produced,

markets flooded with books.
● Not restricted to only elites, many of hearing public

turned to reading public.
● For those who couldn’t read, publishers assured that they

can listen (ballads, folklores, etc were published.
Religious Debates and the Fear of Print
Widespread criticism of the new printed literature had begun to circulate. Why?
● It was feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read then
rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread.
● If that happened the authority of 'valuable' literature would be destroyed.
● Expressed by religious authorities and monarchs, as well as many writers and
artists,
This anxiety was the basis of widespread criticism of the new printed literature that
had begun to circulate.
Deeply grateful to print, Luther said, 'Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the
greatest one.'
Print and Dissent

The Reading Mania
Schools grew, education and literacy rose, more publication.
● Pedlars carried almanac, chapbooks with them for sell.
● There were Bibliotheque Bleu that were priced , printed on

low quality.
● There were romances printed on 4-6 pages.
● Periodical press, newspapers and journals also carried out.
● Ideas of scientists and philosophers were now accessible to

common people.
The Reading Mania
‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world!’

The Reading Mania
Print Culture and the French Revolution
Print culture created the conditions within which French Revolution occurred. Can we make
such a connection?
• Print popularised the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers.
• Print created a new culture of dialogue and debate.
• By the 1780s there was an outpouring of literature that mocked the royalty and criticised
their morality.
Impact :
They accepted some ideas and rejected others. They interpreted things their own way. Print
did not directly shape their minds, but it did open up the possibility of thinking differently.
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2024

By- Riya Chouhan Ma’am

2) Print Comes to Europe

3) The Print Revolution and Its Impact

4) The Reading Mania

Earliest Printing technology :

● Developed in China, Japan and Korea.

● System of hand printing.

Growth of printing due to :

● Increase in civil service exam candidate and hence

● Use of print diversified, not just read by scholars but

● Western printing techniques and mechanical presses

● Hand printing technology introduced by Buddhist

● Buddhist Diamond Sutra Oldest Japanese book, AD 868,

● Medieval Japan : Pictures printed on textile, paper money,

● Printing of visual material led to : Interesting publishing

Tripitaka Koreana are a Korean collection of Buddhist scriptures

Key points to remember :

● Made possible production of manuscripts.

● 1295, Marco Polo brought with him technique of woodblock printing to

● Luxury edition still written on vellum.

● Demand rose, but copying was expensive, laborious and time

…Necessity is the mother of discovery

Strasbourg, Germany, where Johann Gutenberg developed the first-known

Gutenberg and the Printing Press

What was the print revolution?

It was not just a development, a new way of producing books; it

A New Reading Public

With the printing press, a new reading public emerged.

● Time and labour reduced, multiple copies produced,

● Not restricted to only elites, many of hearing public

● For those who couldn’t read, publishers assured that they

Religious Debates and the Fear of Print

Print and Dissent

Schools grew, education and literacy rose, more publication.

● Pedlars carried almanac, chapbooks with them for sell.

● There were Bibliotheque Bleu that were priced , printed on

● There were romances printed on 4-6 pages.

● Periodical press, newspapers and journals also carried out.

● Ideas of scientists and philosophers were now accessible to

‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world!’

Print Culture and the French Revolution

• Print popularised the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers.

• Print created a new culture of dialogue and debate.

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