Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ce. The
Printed Prayer Sheet
(c. 618-907) was made seven centuries before the printing
press was “invented” in Europe. A bodhisattva (an incarnation of Buddha) rides a lion,
surrounded by a prayer in Chinese characters. The faithful gained a blessing by saying
the prayer, and so did the printer by reproducing it. Texts such as this were printed using
wooden blocks carved with Chinese characters, then dipped into paint or ink.
The Gutenberg Bible
It looks like just another monk-made Latin manuscript, but it was the first book printed in
Europe using movable type (c. 1455). Printing is one of the most revolutionary inventions
in history.
Johann Gutenberg (c. 1397-1468), a German silversmith, devised a convenient way to
reproduce written materials quickly, neatly, and cheaply—by printing with movable type.
