Chapter summary:
There are many definitions of printing. The one I have adopted is “a process in which ink is set on paper by physical or chemical means.” There is no dispute that block and moveable type printing were invented in China. There seem to be three principal contenders for the prize of which European first used moveable block printing, the claimants being Laurens Zanzoon Coster, Gutenberg and an unknown printer in Venice or Florence.
It is generally accepted that moveable block printing reached Europe from China at about the same time that Zheng He’s Ambassador reached Florence in1434. It stands to reason that Zheng He’s ambassadors would have made considerable efforts to impart knowledge of printing to Venice. It made sense to give the barbarians the knowledge of moveable type printing, along with the astronomical tables and maps. The Chinese could then be confident that Europeans could reach the Middle Kingdom to pay tribute – no further excuses!
The introduction of moveable type enabled revolutionary ideas to be spread the length and breadth of Europe making the Renaissance not only a revolution in art. It altered European man’s idea of his place in the universe, in astronomy, logic, geometry and architecture, engineering, mechanics, anatomy, philosophy, politics, warfare and music. Printing also advanced the voyages of discovery. Knowledge, including Chinese knowledge, could now be made available to numerous explorers. Subsequent explorers’ discoveries and exploits could in turn be publicised far and wide.
Further reading:
Early Venetian Printing: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/library/speccoll/exhibitions/printerex/evenprint.html
Ming Printing and Printers by K. T. Wu; Wu, Kuang-Ch’ing:
http://www.jstor.org/pss/2718015
The Forlani Map of North America, David Woodward
http://www.jstor.org/pss/1151185
Nicolaus Copernicus
http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biographies/Science/Copernicus.htm
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Copernicus.html
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Copernicus.html
The Copernican Model: A Sun-Centered Solar System
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/retrograde/copernican.html
Nicholas of Cusa and the Infinite
http://www.integralscience.org/cusa.html
Newton’s First Law of Motion
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSCI/PHYS/CLASS/newtlaws/u2l1a.html
Johannes Kepler: The New Astronomy
http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/kepler/section8.rhtml
Kepler’s laws of planetary motion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler’s_laws_of_planetary_motion
The Derivation and First Draft of Copernicus’s Planetary Theory: A Translation of the Commentariolus with Commentary by Noel M. Swerdlow: http://www.jstor.org/pss/986461
Johannes Kepler: Tracing the source of his wisdom to 3000 B.C.
http://www.beforebc.com/Kepler.html
