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CHAPTER – 5 / PRINT CULTURE AND THE

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1.INTRODUCTION 2.The First Printed Books
 Printed Materials in Society:  Skilled Craftsmen and Calligraphy:
Various printed materials used in daily life.
o  Highly skilled craftsmen replicate calligraphy
 Development of Print Technology: beautifully and accurately.
o Evolution of print technology from East Asia to
Europe and India.
2.1 Print in Japan 3. Print Comes to Europe
 Introduction of Printing in Japan:  Marco Polo and Printing Knowledge:
o Buddhist missionaries from China bring hand- o Marco Polo brings printing knowledge to Europe.
printing to Japan in AD 768-770. o Italians start producing books with woodblocks.
 Oldest Japanese Printed Book: o Technology spreads across Europe.
o Oldest Japanese book, AD 868.  Luxury Handwritten Editions:
o Titled Buddhist Diamond Sutra. o Luxury editions continue to be handwritten on
o Contains six sheets of text and woodcut expensive vellum.
illustrations. o Intended for aristocratic circles.
 Gutenberg's Printing Press:
o Gutenberg's breakthrough in Strasbourg, Germany.
o Development of the first-known printing press in
the 1430s.
3.1 Gutenberg and the Printing Press 4. The Print Revolution and Its Impact
 Gutenberg's Background:  Impact of Printing Revolution:
o Gutenberg, son of a merchant. o Printing revolution transformed book production.
o Grew up around wine and olive presses. o Changed people's access to information and
 Gutenberg's Perfection and First Book: knowledge.
o By 1448, Gutenberg perfects the printing system. o Altered relationships with institutions and
o First book printed: the Bible. authorities.
 Coexistence of Printing and Handwriting:
o New technology doesn't entirely replace manual
book production.
 Spread of Printing Presses:
o From 1450 to 1550, printing presses established
across Europe.
 Rapid Growth in Book Production:
o 20 million printed books in the second half of the
15th century.
o About 200 million in the 16th century.
 Shift to Mechanical Printing:
o Transition from hand printing to mechanical
printing leads to the print revolution.
4.1 A New Reading Public 4.2 Religious Debates and the Fear of Print
 Oral Culture of Common People:  Power of Printed Message: - Printed materials
o Common people primarily relied on oral culture. could influence thoughts and actions.
o Sacred texts, ballads, and folk tales were heard, not  Apprehension About Printed Word:
read. o Concerns about the impact of easier access to
o Knowledge transferred through oral tradition. printed material on people's minds.
o Stories and performances shared collectively.  Martin Luther's Critique:
 Oral Tradition Continuation: o In 1517, Martin Luther criticizes Roman Catholic
o Stories sung and recited at gatherings in villages and Church practices in Ninety Five Theses.
taverns in towns.  Protestant Reformation Begins:
o Oral traditions remained a vital part of community o Luther's actions lead to a Church division and the
life. start of the Protestant Reformation.
 Luther's Gratitude for Printing:
o Luther praises print as a divine gift, emphasizing its
importance.
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4.3 Print and Dissent 5. The Reading Mania
 Unique Religious Views:  Church Schools for Literacy:
o Print and popular religious texts inspired individual o Churches of various denominations established
interpretations of faith, even among less-educated schools in villages to promote literacy among
people. peasants and artisans.
 Menocchio's Reading:  Penny Chapbooks in England:
o In the 16th century, Italian miller Menocchio read o In England, chapbooks sold for a penny by chapmen,
local books. enabling even the poor to access them.
 Menocchio's Inquisition:  News in Newspapers:
o Roman Church inquisition targeted him twice, o Newspapers and journals provided information on
leading to his execution. wars, trade, and global developments.
5.1‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world! 5.2 Print Culture and the French Revolution
 Books for Social Transformation:  Print and Enlightenment Ideas:
o Many believed books could inspire societal change, o Print popularized Enlightenment thinkers' ideas,
overthrow despotism, and usher in an era of reason critiquing tradition, superstition, and despotism.
and intellect.  Print Fosters Dialogue and Debate:
 The Printing Press and Public Opinion: o Print culture encouraged open discourse, leading to
o The printing press was seen as a potent force for a re-evaluation of values, norms, and institutions.
progress, with public opinion capable of dismantling  Print and Critique of Royalty:
despotism. o In the 1780s, literature emerged that satirized
 Enlightenment through Reading: royalty and questioned their moral conduct.
o People immersed themselves in books, experiencing
enlightenment through the worlds books unveiled.
6. The Nineteenth Century 6.1Children, Women and Workers
 19th Century Mass Literacy:  Compulsory Primary Education:
 The 19th century saw a surge in mass literacy across o Compulsory primary education in the late 19th
Europe, including children, women, and workers. century made children significant readers.
 Prominent Women Novelists:
o Notable women novelists like Jane Austen, the
Bronte sisters, and George Eliot emerged.
 Lending Libraries for Education:
o In the 19th century, lending libraries in England
played a role in educating white-collar workers,
artisans, and the lower-middle class.
6.2Further Innovations 7. India and the World of Print
 Printing Innovations in the 19th Century:  Printing in India:
o The 19th century saw continuous innovations in  Discuss the introduction of printing in India.
printing technology.  Mention the methods of information transmission
 Richard M. Hoe's Power-Driven Press: before printing.
o By the mid-19th century, Richard M. Hoe developed
the power-driven cylindrical press.
 Technological Improvements:
o Advancements included improved paper feeding
methods, better plate quality, and the introduction of
automatic paper reels and photoelectric color
controls.
 Shilling Series in the 1920s:
o In the 1920s in England, cheap book series like the
Shilling Series made popular works accessible to a
broader audience.
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7.1Manuscripts Before the Age of Print 7.2Print Comes to India
 Tradition of Handwritten Manuscripts in  Printing in Goa by Jesuit Missionaries:
India: o Printing introduced by Portuguese missionaries in
o India's tradition of handwritten manuscripts in Goa.
various languages.  Early Printing in Konkani and Kanara
 Manuscript Production: Languages:
o Methods of manuscript production on palm o About 50 books printed in Konkani and Kanara by
leaves and paper. 1674.
o Mention the artistic illustrations in some  Printing in Tamil and Malayalam:
manuscripts. o Catholic priests printed the first Tamil book in
 Coexistence with Print: 1579.
o Manuscript production continued alongside o First Malayalam book printed in 1713.
printing.  Dutch Protestant Missionaries and Tamil Texts:
 Educational Practices: o Dutch missionaries printed 32 Tamil texts by 1710.
o How teachers and students used handwritten  English Language Press Introduction:
texts for learning. o English language press came to India later despite
the presence of the English East India Company.
 The Bengal Gazette:
o The weekly Bengal Gazette introduced by
Gangadhar Bhattacharya, associated with
Rammohun Roy.
8. Religious Reform and Public Debates 9. New Forms of Publication
 Impact of Printed Material:  Impact of the Novel:
o Printed tracts and newspapers spread new ideas o The novel, a European literary form, developed
and shaped debates. distinctively Indian styles and forms.
 Public Participation and New Ideas:  Expanding Horizons Through Reading:
o Wider public participation led to the emergence o Novels opened up new experiences and showcased
of new ideas. human diversity.
 Rammohun Roy and Sambad Kaumudi:  Diverse Literary Forms:
o Rammohun Roy published Sambad Kaumudi in o Besides novels, other forms like lyrics, short
1821, countered by Samachar Chandrika. stories, and essays on social and political issues
 Persian Newspapers: became popular.
o Jam-i-Jahan Nama and Shamsul Akhbar, two  Reproduction of Visual Images:
Persian newspapers, started in 1822. o Printing presses allowed easy reproduction of
 Ulama Concerns: visual images in multiple copies.
o The ulama in north India were concerned about  Rise of Caricatures and Cartoons:
the decline of Muslim dynasties. o Caricatures and cartoons commenting on social
 Religious Texts in Vernaculars: and political matters appeared in journals and
o Naval Kishore Press (Lucknow) and Shri newspapers from the 1870s.
Venkateshwar Press (Bombay) published
vernacular religious texts from the 1880s.
 Pan-Indian Identities:
o Newspapers played a role in creating pan-Indian
identities by conveying news across regions.
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9.1 Women and Print 9.2 Print and the Poor People
 Increased Women's Reading:  Caste Discrimination Awareness:
o Women's reading expanded significantly in o Late 19th-century writings began addressing
middle-class households. issues of caste discrimination in tracts and essays.
 Women's Writings and Education:  Gulamgiri by Maratha Pioneer:
o Many journals featured writings by women and o A Maratha leader, a pioneer in low-caste protest
advocated for women's education. movements, wrote "Gulamgiri" (1871) to expose
 Early Bengali Autobiography: caste injustices.
o An autobiography titled "Amar Jiban" was  Caste Writings in the 20th Century:
written and published by a woman. o Prominent figures like B.R. Ambedkar in
 Pioneering Bengali Autobiography: Maharashtra and Periyar (E.V. Ramaswamy
o "Amar Jiban" was the first full-length Naicker) in Madras wrote extensively on caste
autobiography in the Bengali language. issues, with their writings gaining national
 Books and Happiness: recognition.
o Books brought happiness to many lives,  Sudarshan Chakr's Poetry:
particularly for women. o A Kanpur millworker, Sudarshan Chakr, penned
 Punjab's Folk Literature: poems between 1935 and 1955, which were later
o Punjab had its own folk literature, widely printed published as "Sacchi Kavitayan," addressing
in the early 20th century. various social issues.
 Guidance for Women:
o Publications like "Istri Dharm Vichar" aimed to
guide women on being obedient wives, reflecting
societal norms.
10. Print and Censorship
 Early Colonial State and Censorship:
o Before 1798, the colonial state, under the East India Company, showed little concern for censorship.
 Company's Concerns:
o The Company began worrying that criticisms in publications might be exploited by its critics in England to
challenge its trade monopoly in India.
 Press Law Revisions (1835):
o In 1835, due to editor petitions, Governor-General Bentinck agreed to revise press laws.
 Macaulay's Reforms (1835):
o Thomas Macaulay, a liberal colonial official, formulated new rules that restored earlier press freedoms.
 Post-1857 Press Freedom Changes:
o After the 1857 revolt, attitudes toward press freedom shifted, with demands for stricter controls on the
'native' press.
 Vernacular Press Act (1878):
o The Vernacular Press Act, influenced by Irish Press Laws, was enacted