Chapter 5, " Print Culture and the Modern World," arranged in a sequence suitable for board exams.
Early Print in East Asia
• AD 594 onwards: Books in China were printed by rubbing paper against inked woodblocks; a system of hand printing.
• Around AD 768-770: Buddhist missionaries from China introduced hand-printing technology into Japan.
• AD 868: The oldest existing Japanese book, the Buddhist Diamond Sutra, was printed with woodcut illustrations.
• 1295: Marco Polo returned to Italy from China, bringing with him the knowledge of woodblock printing, which then spread to Europe.
The Print Revolution in Europe
• 1430s: Johann Gutenberg developed the first printing press with movable metal type.
• By 1448: Gutenberg perfected his system and printed the Bible.
• 1450-1550: Printing presses were established across Europe, leading to a print revolution and the mass production of books.
• 1517: Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, critical of the Roman Catholic Church, circulated widely in print, contributing to the Protestant Reformation.
• From 1558: The Roman Catholic Church started the Index of Prohibited Books to regulate printed material.
• 18th Century (mid): Increased literacy and the development of the periodical press led to a "reading mania" in Europe, spreading new ideas.
• 1780s: Literature satirizing royalty is believed by some historians to have influenced the French Revolution.
Print Comes to India
• Mid-16th Century: Portuguese missionaries introduced the first printing press to Goa.
• Catholic priests printed the first complete Tamil book in 1579, and the first Malayalam book was printed in 1713.
• 1780: James Augustus Hickey launched India's first English newspaper, the Bengal Gazette.
• 1821: Raja Rammohun Roy published Sambad Kaumudi to advocate for his reformist views.
• Persian newspapers like Jam-i-Jahan Nama and Shamsul Akhbar were founded in 1822, alongside the Gujarati newspaper Bombay Samachar.
• 1860s: Bengali women writers, including Rashsundari Debi, began publishing.
• 1871: Jyotiba Phule's Gulamgiri addressed the injustices of the caste system.
• 1878: The Vernacular Press Act was passed, enabling the British government to censor Indian-language publications.
• 1908: Bal Gangadhar Tilak was jailed for articles supporting revolutionaries, leading to protests.
• 1938: Kashibaba, a Kanpur mill worker, published on caste and class exploitation.