Words, Words, Words

I think of the printing press as the most important invention in human history; it is also my favourite invention. It allowed for the beginning of the democratization of knowledge and the shift (in Western Europe) from Latin being the language of writers to colloquial languages (English, German) being acceptable forms of written thought. The printing press is the source of political pamphlets, penny dreadfuls, newspapers, magazines, three-volume novels, giant eye-catching posters, and every other kind of written communication you can think of. It is one of the major factors that led to widespread literacy in England by the beginning of the nineteenth century, and that literacy was also a component in major social changes like the industrial revolution, the French revolution, the beginning of labour unions and child labour laws, and so on.