What If: Gutenberg Press

What: The Gutenberg press, created by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 (or thereabouts) was the first movable type printing press in the world. There were other movable type systems around during this period, but as far as Europe is concerned, this was invented independently by Johannes Gutenberg. The system used metal blocks with letters on them, which could easily be moved or changed and were very durable. This led to the mass publication of books, including the Bible.

Others were independently working on movable type in China and Korea, so it is without a doubt that by the end of the 15th Century, someone would have got the same system. But what if that system had not reached Europe, or at least was delayed?

What if that system had not reached Europe, or at least was delayed?

Within Europe, the UK especially there would have been little if any impact on the general population as most would have been illiterate. So initially there is little change, but two hundred years later, 1639, assuming that the movable type printing press still had not arrived, there may well be signs of this having an effect. Now Glasgow University Press has not appeared due to the lack of a system for the mass production of books. This is a similar occurrence all over the UK.

Eventually during the late 17th Century, the printing press starts to enter the UK; however, its delayed arrival has further implication. Lithography has failed to develop along with other technologies including Chromolithography. Maps that would have appeared by now have failed to be produced making navigation around the UK tough; books would have failed to become popular amongst the population, titles such as Monmouth’s King Arthur.

How long this would have gone on for is any ones guess, but it is likely that by the mid 19th Century, the UK would have caught up with China and Korea and is back to where we should be. But would Darwin’s "On the Origin of Species." have been published on a mass scale? If not would creationism be main stream today? Would the lack of mass production of Bibles affect the Churches? And would the name Tolkien mean anything?