History of the Book

Prior to the invention of the printing press, books were produced by hand on various medium types including tablets, scrolls, papyrus and parchment. By the end of the Roman Empire, codices began to replace scrolls and paper slowly began to replace parchment. During the Dark Ages, it was largely monasteries that conserved religious texts and certain works of Antiquity. These works were typically created in scriptoriums, where monks would copy, decorate and bind books within their monastery libraries. By the end of the 12th century, the growth of the university saw a growth in manuscripts and incunabula outside of monasteries. Also, the development of commerce also saw a growth in texts related to law, history, etc.

During the late Middle Ages, there was an increased interest in the arts and sciences, as well as a renewed interest in texts from ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Although Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea had been using printing technologies such as woodblocks for centuries prior, Johannes Gutenberg helped usher is a new era of printing in Europe with his invention, the Gutenberg press. This press used moveable type technology, making it easier to mass produce books and other texts.

The Gutenberg style of press remained in use until the Industrial Revolution, when Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Stanhope (1753-1816) created a new press type by 1800 made from cast iron, which helped reduce the amount of force needed to work the press while doubling the size. This printing press making it increasingly easier and cheaper to mass produce books. In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the Art Noveau movement spread across Europe, which longed for a return to the golden age of printing and publishing. As a result, several fine presses, such as the Kelmscott Press, were established.