What was life like before the printing press?

Life before the printing press was like having only one toy to play with, everyone had to share it and use it the same way.

Books were made by hand, which meant each copy took a long time to make. Think about how you write in your notebook, now imagine doing that for every single word of a whole book! That’s what scribes did, and they could only make a few books at a time. So most people didn’t get to read very often.

People used to pass stories down by telling them out loud, just like when you tell your brother about your favorite game. They also used something called manuscripts, which were hand-written books that only rich people could afford. It was kind of like having a secret club, only a few kids got to be in it.

Then came the printing press, and it was like getting a toy that makes a hundred copies at once! Suddenly, everyone could read, and books became common, just like how your favorite snacks become easy to get when they’re sold in the cafeteria. Life before the printing press was like having only one toy to play with, everyone had to share it and use it the same way.

Books were made by hand, which meant each copy took a long time to make. Think about how you write in your notebook, now imagine doing that for every single word of a whole book! That’s what scribes did, and they could only make a few books at a time. So most people didn’t get to read very often.