Books and Science in the Middle Ages 557 examples of little books printed with engraved blocks and even with movable types. In the German towns, where the art spread rapidly, the printers adhered to the style of letters which the scribe had found it convenient to make with his quill — the so- called Gothic, or black letter. In Italy, however, where the first Black letter printing press was set up in 1466, a type was soon adopted which resembled the letters used in ancient Roman inscriptions. This was quite similar to the style of letter commonly used to-day. The Italians also invented the com- pressed italic type, which enabled them to get a great many words on a page. The early printers generally did their work conscientiously, and the very first book printed is in most respects as well done as any later book. By the year 1500, after printing had been used less than half a century, there appear to have been at least forty printing presses to be found in va- rious towns of Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and England. These presses had, it is estimated, already printed eight millions of volumes. So there w^as no longer any danger of the old books being again lost, and the encouragement to write and publish new books was greatly increased. From that date our sources for history become far more .voluminous Fig. 202. An Old-fashioned Printing Office Until the nineteenth century printing was carried on with very little machin- ery. The type was inked by hand, then the paper laid on and the form slipped under a wooden press operated by hand by means of a lever
