ABSTRACT
The advent of printing by movable type in the western world is usually associated with the innovations made by a German goldsmith, Johannes Gutenberg, in the second quarter of the mid fifteenth century. By 1500 similar presses were found in hundreds of European cities, and this expansion continued over the next two centuries, in what is still described in some quarters as the ‘Printing Revolution’. 1 In recent decades a number of caveats have been entered against drawing too simple an equation between the adoption of movable type and radical change. On the other hand, increasingly sophisticated assessments of the relationships between authors, publishers and readers are also now being offered, so that the pendulum has to some extent swung back. This chapter begins with a brief account of developments on the European mainland, before turning to focus on the nature and impact of printing in England. It also indicates how much access to early modern printed sources the modern student has through digital databases, and some of the benefits and potential problems of using them.
