Class 10 History: Print Culture and the Modern World

Quick Revision Notes | MP Board Special Edition

Origin: The earliest print technology was developed in China, Japan, and Korea.
Woodblock Printing: From AD 594, books in China were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks.
China’s Monopoly: For a long time, China was the largest producer of printed material because of its massive bureaucratic system and civil service examinations.
Japan: Buddhist missionaries from China introduced hand-printing technology into Japan around AD 768-770. The Buddhist Diamond Sutra (AD 868) is the oldest Japanese book.

Marco Polo: In 1295, the great explorer Marco Polo returned to Italy from China and brought the knowledge of woodblock printing with him.
Vellum (चर्मपत्र): Even after print started, luxury editions were still written on vellum (parchment made from animal skin) for the aristocrats.
Johann Gutenberg:
- He developed the first-known Printing Press in the 1430s in Strasbourg, Germany.
- He adapted the design of the olive and wine presses.
- The first book he printed was the Bible (180 copies took 3 years).

Shift in Culture: A shift from a hearing public to a reading public.
Religious Debates: Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas.
- Martin Luther: In 1517, he wrote 'Ninety-Five Theses' criticizing the Roman Catholic Church. This led to the Protestant Reformation.
Index Librorum Prohibitorum: A list of prohibited books maintained by the Roman Catholic Church from 1558 to control "heretical" ideas.

Literacy Rates: By the 18th century, literacy rates went up in Europe (60% to 80%).
New Forms of Literature:
- Almanacs (पंचांग): Ritual calendars.
- Chapbooks: Pocket-sized books sold by traveling pedlars (chapmen) for a penny.
- Bibliothèque Bleue: Low-priced small books printed in France on poor quality paper.
Periodicals: Newspapers and journals combined information about wars, trade, and developments in other places.

Children: In 1857, a children's press was set up in France.
Women: Became important readers and writers. Penny Magazines were especially meant for women.
Workers: Lending libraries became instruments for educating white-collar workers and artisans.
Technical Improvements:
- Richard M. Hoe: Perfected the power-driven cylindrical press (printed 8,000 sheets per hour).
- Offset Press: Could print up to six colors at once.

Manuscripts (पांडुलिपियाँ): Before print, India had a rich tradition of handwritten manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian. They were fragile and expensive.
First Printing Press: Brought to Goa by Portuguese missionaries in the mid-16th century.
First Newspaper: James Augustus Hickey began to edit the Bengal Gazette in 1780.
Religious Reforms:
- Raja Rammohan Roy: Published Sambad Kaumudi (1821).
- Hindu Orthodoxy: Published Samachar Chandrika to oppose Roy's ideas.
- Islamic Print: Deoband Seminary published fatwas to tell Muslim readers how to conduct themselves.

The Novel: A distinctively modern literary form.
Visual Culture: Raja Ravi Varma produced images for mass circulation.
Women and Print:
- Rashsundari Devi: Wrote her autobiography Amar Jiban (1876) in Bengali.
- Kailashbashini Debi: Wrote about the experiences of women.
- Tarabai Shinde & Pandita Ramabai: Wrote about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women.

Early Measures: Before 1798, the East India Company was not too concerned with censorship.
Vernacular Press Act (1878): Modeled on the Irish Press Laws. It provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular (local language) press.
Nationalist Response: Despite repressive measures, nationalist newspapers grew in numbers. Bal Gangadhar Tilak wrote about Punjab revolutionaries in his paper Kesari, leading to his imprisonment in 1908.

Calligraphy (सुलेखन): The art of beautiful and stylized writing.
Compositor (संयोजक): The person who composes the text for printing.
Galley: Metal frame in which types are set and genes are locked before printing.
Platen (प्लेटन): In letterpress printing, a plate which is pressed onto the back of the paper to get the impression from the type.
Despotism (निरंकुशवाद): A system of governance in which absolute power is exercised by an individual, unchecked by law.
Heretical (विधर्मी): Beliefs which do not follow the accepted teachings of the Church.

History: Print Culture and the Modern World