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2900 BCE
Books in BCE
The earliest form of books were seen in places like Mesopotamia and Egypt. They used objects such as papyrus rolls and clay tablets. -
1300 BCE
Chinese Books
Being the third group to extensively produce books, the chinese books made out of wood and bamboo which were held together with cords. -
150 BCE
Roman, Hebrew, and Greek Books
These books were made mainly out of parchment and put into rolls. This continued throughout the times of Christianity. An example of this is the Dead Sea Scrolls. This roll of parchment paper perserves the culture of religion. (McNeel) -
1450
Medieval and Rennaissance Books
During these times, the use of the papyrus folded or formed into different shapes was revolutionary. They reverted to the roll, but also other styles like the codex, normal quires, and more. The use of printing, casting, and tools added to how books were written. (Clement) -
1450
Invention of the Printing Press
During this year, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press which led the way for publishing books. This was the start of printing spreading across Europe throughout the 1400s. -
Development of Copyright
After the publishing of books caused more people to be educated and become more literate, this increase in publishing called for law. In Britain, the Copyright Act of 1709 was passed. It was "An act for the encouragement of Learning, by vesting the copies of printed books in the authors or purchasers of such cioies during the times therein mentioned." (Unwin) -
Freedom from censorship
In many European countries, censorship was an issue, but in 1789 the French National Assembly stated, "The free communication of thought and opinion is one of the most precious rights of man; every citizen may therefore speak, write, aand print freely." (Unwin) This promoted freedom of spreech and literature all over the world. -
Mass Production and the 19th century
Publishing has become well-established, so many companies turned to mass production which reduced the price of printing, but also opened the way for new issues like piracy and the need for price regulation. -
War and Post-war effects
With both World Wars happened between 1914 and 1939, economic and creative struggles were a worry. New subjects, techniques, and discoveries caused for more books -
Project Gutenberg- the first e-book
In 1971, Michael Hart digitilized the Declaration of Independence. This was the first e-book! (The) -
Creation of eBook readers
In 1998, the readers Rocket Ebook and Softbook were created. These were handheld devices where you could access digitalized books. (The History....) -
CD/Disc eBooks from authors
In the year 200, Stephen KInd released his disc version of the book Riding the Bullet. This was able to be read and played on a computer. (The History...) -
Amazon's launch of the Kindle
In 2007, Amazon released their Kindle eBook reader. -
Barnes & Noble follows
In 2009, Barnes and Noble released the Nook, which is an eBook reader. (The History...) -
Apple releases the IPad
In 2010, Apple released the IPad which not only had the platform IBooks to allow for users to read books on this device, but to also provide the platform for creators to make digital book apps. (The history...) -
Increase in digital books and textbooks
According to the Association og Publishers, the sales of digital books increased by 117%. (Michelle)