Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg 1 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Mainz, Germany, in 1440. With the printing press, multiple copies of books could be produced efficiently and with consistent quality. Before Gutenberg’s invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe. Fifty years later, there were as many as 10 to 12 million. Books Before the Printing Press 2 To understand how Gutenberg’s invention revolutionized European culture, it is “illuminating” to understand how books were made before the printing press. Intellectual and cultural life in Medieval Europe was limited, for the most part, to religious communities called monasteries. Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts—all by hand. A scribe prepared each page by outlining the margins and drawing a straight line for each line of text. Then the scribe wrote with a goose quill dipped in ink. After the scribe was finished, a person called a rubicator checked for errors and added the titles and large initial letters. Finally, a person called an illuminator added the illustrations and other artwork. This time-consuming process was used for each page of every book before the printing press was invented. The Invention That Changed Books 3 The invention of the printing press is really the invention of three things: movable type, ink, and the press itself. Movable type consists of small pieces of metal with raised letters, which can be arranged and re-arranged to form words. Once the movable type is arranged, the page can be printed over and over again. Printing also requires ink. The scribe’s ink was water based and did not stick to the type. Gutenberg had to invent ink that was thicker and stuck to the type. Finally, the actual printing press was an adaptation of a wine press. Gutenberg was likely familiar with the wine press because he grew up in a winemaking region of Germany. Books After the Printing Press 4 In 1452 and 1453, Gutenberg published the Gutenberg Bible, his first major project. It looked like a handwritten bible, but it differed in that each page had 42 regularly spaced lines of text, and there were no variations from copy to copy. This made reading the book much easier. One hundred and eighty copies of the Gutenberg Bible were printed. Only 21 complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible exist today. 5 For the 350 years that followed the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the printing process remained much the same. But significant changes took place in the intellectual and cultural life of society. 6 Gutenberg’s invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age. As the number of books increased, the types of books increased as well. In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called lost works of classical Greece and Rome. This renewed interest in the ancient world contributed to the rise of the Renaissance. 7 More than 240 printing shops had been established throughout Europe by the beginning of the sixteenth century. The spread of the printing press made it possible for more and more people to read books. Books began to be written in local languages, not just in Latin. This decline in the use of Latin for written communication both strengthened local languages and improved the educational opportunities for a wider range of society. The Books of Today 8 Although virtual books are replacing more and more printed books, the influence of Gutenberg’s invention is still felt today. When we read a book, whether printed or electronic, we expect the consistency first established with the Gutenberg Bible. We expect that books are widely available, and not the domain of a privileged few. Gutenberg’s invention is so important that the first major effort to put all books online bears his name: “Project Gutenberg.” (From "Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg, Illuminate) Question: Read the passage. What is the main idea of this text? (1 point) Responses The significant historical importance of the printing press. The significant historical importance of the printing press. The very first publication produced using a printing press, the Gutenberg Bible. The very first publication produced using a printing press, the Gutenberg Bible. The structure of the printing press, comprising three smaller innovations. The structure of the printing press, comprising three smaller innovations. Giving credit to Gutenberg for the fifteenth-century invention of the printing press. Giving credit to Gutenberg for the fifteenth-century invention of the printing press. Skip to navigation
The main idea of this text is the significant historical importance of the printing press.
Question: How does the part labeled "Books Before the Printing Press" help the main idea of the text? (1 point) Responses by telling us the problems Gutenberg faced when making the printing press by telling us the problems Gutenberg faced when making the printing press by telling us why Gutenberg wanted to make the printing press by telling us why Gutenberg wanted to make the printing press by showing us the first thing that happened when they were making the printing press by showing us the first thing that happened when they were making the printing press by giving us details that show how exceptional the printing press is by giving us details that show how exceptional the printing press is
By giving details about how books were made before the printing press, the section labeled "Books Before the Printing Press" helps to emphasize the significant historical importance of Gutenberg's invention. It highlights the labor-intensive and time-consuming process of hand-copying manuscripts, emphasizing the need for a more efficient method of producing books. This sets the stage for the discussion of Gutenberg's printing press and the transformative impact it had on European culture and society.
Question: Which sentence in the passage explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg? (1 point) Responses Before Gutenberg's invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe. Before Gutenberg's invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe. Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand. Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand. Gutenberg's invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age. Gutenberg's invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age. In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called “lost works” of classical Greece and Rome.
The sentence that explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg is: "In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called 'lost works' of classical Greece and Rome."
Question: What can we learn from the text about how medieval books were related to the process in which they were made? (1 point) Responses Monks in monasteries made the books, so they were usually about religion. Monks in monasteries made the books, so they were usually about religion. The books had hand-drawn pictures, so they were mostly about things that could be shown in pictures. The books had hand-drawn pictures, so they were mostly about things that could be shown in pictures. Because the books were in Latin, they talked about things that interested Romans. Because the books were in Latin, they talked about things that interested Romans. Scribes copied each book by hand, so they were about things that could be explained shortly. Scribes copied each book by hand, so they were about things that could be explained shortly.
The text teaches us that monks in monasteries made the books by hand-copying manuscripts. This suggests that the books were usually about religious topics, as these were the subjects that the monks were primarily concerned with. Therefore, the answer is "Monks in monasteries made the books, so they were usually about religion."
