How was life before the printing press was invented?

Answer 1

The only books were hand-copied manuscripts, and therefore forbidingly expensive (costing often the equivalent of several villages) and only owned by rich aristocrats and the Church.

Answer 2

I doubt if the average peasant noticed it as he or she couldn't read - something that remained the case until the latter half of the 19th century when adult literacy became common. But imagine being a monkish scribe before the printing press. Spending days hunched over a bench copying out manuscripts - no light except natural light and tallow or rush candles after dark. I wonder how long their eyesight lasted? But what wonderful work was produced Have a look at this page for example:- http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/themes/euromanuscripts/lindisfarne.html

Answer 3

Terrible.

How were you supposed to know what was going to be on the TV that night ?

Seriously, prior to the printing press, documents were hand-written and remained the property of the elite classes, while the rest of us pond-life remained pretty much illiterate.

(Some would say things have not moved on much !)

The advent of the printing press meant that books, leaflets, etc could be mass-produced. This led to a step-change in a lot of things.........people generally became more literate; political and religious ideas could be disseminated more easily; knowledge and technology could be shared; etc., etc.

Answer 4

It was truly a Golden Era, The Best of Times-according to the scribes of the time. Afterwards, not so much...

Answer 5

Mind wrenchingly dull. For a start, no bloody crosswords !