Key Points

The earliest print technology, using woodblocks, was developed in China, Japan, and Korea. From AD 594, China printed books by rubbing paper against inked woodblocks, and the oldest Japanese book, the Diamond Sutra, was printed in AD 868.

Around the 1430s, Johann Gutenberg of Germany invented the first printing press with movable metal type. The first book he printed was the Bible, which revolutionized book production in Europe.

The invention of the printing press drastically lowered the cost and time required to produce books. This created a new reading public, making books accessible beyond just the wealthy elites and clergy.

In 1517, religious reformer Martin Luther used print to widely circulate his 'Ninety Five Theses', which criticized the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. This quick spread of ideas helped spark the Protestant Reformation.

Fearing the spread of rebellious and heretical ideas, the Roman Catholic Church imposed severe controls on publishers. From 1558, it began to maintain an Index of Prohibited Books to censor content.

As literacy rates rose in the 17th and 18th centuries, a 'reading mania' swept across Europe. New forms of popular literature, such as chapbooks in England and the 'Biliotheque Bleue' in France, became widespread.

Many historians argue that print culture helped create the conditions for the French Revolution. It popularized the critical ideas of Enlightenment thinkers, created a culture of public debate, and circulated literature that mocked the monarchy.

Mass literacy grew in the 19th century, creating large numbers of new readers among children, women, and workers. This led to the production of school textbooks, penny magazines for women, and lending libraries for workers.

The first printing press came to India in the mid-16th century with Portuguese missionaries in Goa. They printed several books in local languages like Konkani and Tamil.

The first newspaper in India was the 'Bengal Gazette', started in 1780 by James Augustus Hickey. It was a private English weekly magazine that was independent of colonial influence.

In the 19th century, print became a key tool for religious and social reform debates in India. Reformers like Raja Rammohun Roy and orthodox groups published newspapers and tracts to argue their viewpoints.

Print led to new literary forms like the novel and short stories in India, reflecting everyday life. A new visual culture also emerged with cheap, mass-produced prints and calendars by artists like Raja Ravi Varma.

Print culture encouraged women to read and write, leading many to become important authors. Rashsundari Debi wrote 'Amar Jiban' in 1876, the first full-length autobiography in the Bengali language.

Very cheap, small books were sold at markets, allowing poor people to access literature. Reformers like Jyotiba Phule wrote about caste injustices in books like 'Gulamgiri' (1871), which were read widely.

As Indian-language newspapers became increasingly critical of colonial rule, the British government passed the Vernacular Press Act. This 1878 law gave the government extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the 'native' press.

Despite repressive measures, nationalist newspapers grew in number across India. They played a crucial role in reporting on colonial misrule, connecting different regions, and spreading nationalist ideas among the people.