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Tyler Henry
Mrs. Corbett
A.P. Literature
17 November 2011
Publishing throughout the Ages: Barriers and Solution
Publishing is a key component in the process of creating literature of any sort and has
been since the invention of written word. Publishing is defined as the business or actions of a
publisher and to publish something is to distribute the item to sell or issue publicly
(Dictionary.com). Unfortunately for authors, publishing has been hindered by barriers for
centuries by the inability of writers to publish their works en masse. However, wherever there
are barriers, there is also innovation and invention which improved upon methods to publish,
such as the printing press. Now, in the age of information and the invention of the internet, those
publishing barriers have become non-existent.
The beginning of publishing started as the first books were created. While the exact time
of the first book is not known, some of the oldest examples are the clay tablets of ancient
cultures like the Hittites or Sumerians, and the papyrus scrolls of the Egyptians (History of
Publishing). The oldest of these date back to more than five thousand years ago, many years
before the technological era of the press. The use of paper-like materials would not actually be
used until sometime in the first millennia BCE, and until then, clay or stone tablets would be the
norm (History of Publishing). While the people at that time did not have printing presses or the
internet to help create and distribute their texts, they had scribes, which were workers whose job
was to copy entire texts onto another tablet or scroll. These scribes were highly regarded for their
work and were usually in a priest or court officials with high social standings. However, these
scribes were not efficient as later invention would be, as it could take days or weeks to copy

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these texts. Even these early forms of publishing contributed to the seeds of civilization, although
they were neither efficient nor inexpensive for the everyday man.
Book writing progressed much from the record keeping of the Sumerians and Egyptians
with the Greeks and Romans, and with it came more practical publishing. The Greeks used their
paper pragmatically; the Greek scrolls were seldom more than thirty feet in length which gave
scribes an easier job than some of the lengthy scrolls of the Egyptians (History of Publishing).
Plays and epics such as Homer’s Odyssey were recorded on scrolls like these. Greeks also
created one of the first alphabets with their books and used a generalized Greek language to
allow for some of the common people to read these books (History of Publishing). The idiom
“all roads lead to Rome” proves to be entirely true, as the Greek books would soon enter Roman
culture and then be introduced to all of Europe, and with it publishing. The Romans would copy
the Greeks way of publishing by using the papyrus but used Latin instead of Greek. Romans also
had a number of libraries for use by the Roman scholars, as well as using scribes to copy both the
Latin and Greek texts (History of Publishing). The Greek and Roman’s pragmatic approach to
literature would provide an easier way to publish as well as the start to an alphabet.
Publishing in Europe began to get its much needed kick-start in the mid-fifteenth century.
In Germany, Johannes Gutenberg created his masterwork invention: the printing press. This
invention would power the publishing industry for centuries. It is thought that just a half century
after its invention the amount of printed works in the world increased one thousand-fold (History
of Publishing). With the ability to quickly and cheaply produce these texts, the entire industry
changed during this century. In the late fifteenth century, a printer was established in Rome
which resulted with “…the price of books in that city dropped 80 percent” (Printing and
Publishing).The printing press quickly spread around from Germany to other countries, such as

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Italy and France. The printing press would contribute even to the development of languages to
what they are today. Caxton, an early English publisher, provided the English language its
development in his translation of the Aeneid, and the French publisher Robert Estienne did the
same for his language through his dictionaries (History of Publishing). New forms of publishing
are created during the mid-fifteenth century; however, being able to publish is still only
affordable or usable by the trained or the wealthy.
After that kick start, any further innovation on the technique of publishing would take a
lengthy pause, but publishing would become a large industry during this period. From the mid-
sixteenth century to sometime during the early nineteenth century, the press did not change too
much from its original design, however, the publishing industry boomed. The large growth in the
market made creating books and publishing them a worthwhile investment; the value of books
made in the eighteen twenties was assessed to be somewhere around two and a half million
dollars, and that value would increase by millions in the following decades (Fink). Larger
numbers of books and presses were developed as the nineteenth century progressed; by the start
of the American Civil War, there were thought to be over four hundred presses in America alone
(Fink). Along with more interest in the industry, America brought new innovation to the
improvement drought since the sixteenth century. Isaac Adams, an inventor, created a new steam
powered press which allowed for faster printing. In just one decade, Adams’s design was
improved upon by Robert Hoe which made the printing lightning fast compared to the Gutenberg
press (Fink). While there was a hiatus in improvements for the press for a few centuries, the
boom brought by the press enabled it to reach American shores and allowed for the
improvements made by American inventors.

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Growth of the book and publishing industry would not stop after the American Civil War,
and would continue to grow into the twentieth century. From the late nineteenth century and into
the beginning of the twentieth, the population would grow and with it was a push for education
and literacy, causing a large growth in publishing. The amount of new books published during
this time rose exponentially compared to the period before and was over six times the amount of
new books published each year (Book Publishing). America proved to be a growing power
among publishers, especially with their push for national literacy and education. In the later
nineteenth century, the amount of education text books in America was greater than all of the
education text books in Europe (Book Publishing). With the growth in America’s desire for
literacy, the publishing industry was once again growing to new heights.
A few decades later, the book and publishing industry would hit another boom, and the
publishing process has become more accessible for individuals. This boom was caused by the
electric printer, which was able to print more quickly than it steam predecessor. The gross values
of books during the late twentieth century increased over tenfold, with sales nearly reaching
eighteen million dollars annually in the United States (Book Publishing Industries). During this
time, the publishing of children’s book overcame their problems, being an industry “…quiet,
consistent segment of the market and were virtually ignored”, the accessibility and ease of
publishing such books expanded the market and increased the gains from such books (Book
Publishing Industries). While America’s publishing industry was booming, the United
Kingdom’s industry was taking a dive due to a slower movement and an increase in paper. Even
in a modern age, paper is a concern for publishing in print and is increasing in price (Media and
Publishing).

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Finally, in the last years of the twentieth century, the world enters into the Age of
Information and the Internet is made for the use of all. With the Internet, there was a total
revolution for all writers, from the untrained writer to the erudite professor. For example, there
are many sites which allow for scientists and teachers to communicate and question together as a
community. One such site is “…arXiv.org… an online archive” which allows for physicists and
mathematicians to discuss their research and project before any of it appears in the papers
(Internet). These e-journals allow for access to these journals at any moment, and at such an ease
using the internet that they surpass the print journals (Harvey). Such sites have increased the
momentum behind the scientific community and it shows how the internet has been used to help
publish the new research of scientists (Glass and Flanigan). It is incredibly easy for any author
today to publish a book using the internet. The publisher does not have to pay to buy all the
paper and ink it would take to make print copies. There are many tools a computer has to help
them as well and many different outlets for them to sell it on, such as an e-book. With the growth
in the e-book sales since earlier this decade, e-books have become a viable means of publishing
and making a profit (Electronic Publishing). The internet has allowed for a great potential in
publishing books for any sort of writer.
The publishing industry had many barriers for both individuals and even companies
earlier in history due to both the cost and the inability to mass produce books. However, as the
centuries passed, the press, the computer, and the internet all contributed to the increase in a
successful publishing industry as well as opportunity for anyone to write a book. The publishing
barriers have been solved with the invention of the internet now that everyone can publish their
own book.

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Works Cited
“Book Publishing.” American History Though Literature 1870-1920. Ed. Tom Quirk and Gary
Schranhorst. Vol. 1. Detroit: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2006. 3 vols. American History
through Literature. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
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“Book Publishing Industries.” Encyclopedia of American Industries. Ed. Lynn M Pearce. 4th ed.
Farmington Hills: Gale, 2005. 409-16. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Nov.
2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
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“Electronic Publishing.” Gale Virtual Reference Library. Ed. Jane A Malonis. Gale, 2002. Web.
16 Nov. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3405300166&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>.
Fink, Steven. “Book Publishing.” American History Through Literature. Ed. Janet Gabler-
Hoover and Robert Sattlemeyer. Vol. 1. Detroit: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2006. 148-54. 3
vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3450700039&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>.
Glass, Richard M, and Annette Flanagin. “Scientific Pulbishing.” Encyclopedia of Bioethics. Ed.
Stephen G Post. 3rd ed. Vol. 4. Farmington Road: Macmillian Reference, 2004. 2401-7. 5
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i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3402500484&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>.

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Harvey, Melissa J. “E-Journals and E-Publishing.” Computer Sciences. Ed. Roger R Flynn. Vol.
4. New York: Macmillian References, 2002. 4 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3401200523&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>.
“History of Publishing.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 Oct.
2011. <http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-9109461>.
“Internet.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <
http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-9109461>.
“Media and Publishing.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 Oct.
2011. <http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-255541>.
“Printing and Publishing.” Renaissance: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Paul F Grendler.
Vol. 4. Farmington Hills: Charles Scriberner’s Sons, 2004. 4 vols. Gale Virtual Reference
Library. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3409200389&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>.

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Paper ID: 215498914
Paper Title: Publishing throughout the Ages: Barriers and Solution Assignment
Title: Senior Project Research Paper
Author: Tyler Henry