Chapter 5 discusses the emergence of printing within Europe. Xylography is the technical term for the relief printing from a raised surface which we observe in Asia. Typography on the other hand is a term for printing exclusively with independent, movable and recyclable pieces of metal or wood. Each piece of material has a raised letterform upon it. Typography is an invention that is almost as important as the actual creation of writing. It was a huge advance in society and allowed many different effects. It allowed the economical production of the alphabet and let knowledge and learning spread quickly. Literacy increased and the demand for books went up. Europe soon was introduced to woodblock printing as well. Most book blocks contained about thirty to fifty pages. The system of movable type was sought all over Europe including Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy. Johann Gutenberg, who can be considered the father of movable type went through a great ordeal to achieve this status including lawsuits, new partners, and debt. Eventually he ended up with the forty-two line Bible. Sales of the book were quick and he did reasonably well, to say the least. Soon after Gutenberg's pivotal "invention" a long volume explaining religious ceremonies was produced featuring, for the first time, small-sized type to conserve space and the amount of text on each page.
MOST IMPORTANT:
Obviously the most important and innovative subject of this chapter is Gutenberg's first printed book with movable type. This is also very interesting considering the hassle it took in order to reach this title.
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