From the history of printed books
Many years ago a town crier ran through the streets and shouted out all the news. Now we live in the Atomic Age, where too many things happen too quickly, and have some more convenient possibilities to find out what is happening in the world. Reading books and newspapers is one of them.
The first books printed on the paper appeared 500 years ago. Before that time the only way of making books was to write them out by hand. No one knows when writing first began, but scientists have found drawings on the walls of caves and scratchings on bones which are at least 25,000 years old.
The invention of paper played an important part in the development of books. In the 11th century the art of papermaking reached Europe but no trace of printing was found in Europe until 1423. It is known that Johann Gutenberg secretly tried out ways of printing in Strasbourg, Germany, in 1440. The knowledge of the methods of printing spread so quickly over the Europe that by the year 1487 nearly every country had started printing books.
Later people began to learn how to make paper quickly and cheaply and of better quality. As a result of this, books became much lighter and smaller.
The first person who printed books in English was William Caxton, the first Russian printer is Ivan Fedorov.
The first book printed in the Russian language appeared in Moscow
in 1564. Up to that time there were only handwritten books in Russia. The house built for printing books was not far from the Kremlin. At that time it was one of the best buildings in the Russian capital.
By the 16th century books looked as they do today and since then a very little change has been made in their appearance.
Vocabuliary:
appearance [ə`piər(ə)ns] – внешний вид
Atomic [ə`tomic] Age – атомный век
by hand – oт руки, вручную
capital – столица
cheaply [`t∫i:pli] – дёшево
convenient [kən`vi:niənt] – удобный
drawing [`dro:wiŋ] – рисунок
handwritten book – книга, написанная от руки
Kremlin – Кремль
of better quality – лучшего качества
paper – бумага
possibility – возможность
printed book – печатная книга
printer – зд.: типографщик
quickly [`kwikli] – быстро
scientist [`saintist] – учёный
scratching [`skræt∫iŋ] – рисунок, нацарапанный на камне
town cryer [`kraiə] – городской глашатай
to shout out – выкрикивать
to find out – искать, находить
to print – печатать
Questions for self-examination:
1. When were the first books printed?
2. Who was the first persons printed books in English and in Russian?
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