Three Big Ideas of the Print Media

1. The Print Revolution
2. Censorship of printed material and the controversy surrounding that
3. Types of books

The big printing revolution started when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with movable type. Prior to this people were dependent on "Oral culture", which was when people had to depend on local experts to interpret books and teach about it. However, this all changed with the printing of books; people were able to read writings from all over the world and were able to think and interpret on their own. This sparked the minds of many people and they no longer had to rely on what they were told.

With the overflow of so many different ideas and opinions, controversy erupted over the influence of books. Many books that are thought of as classics today were under attack when it was first written because of the subject matter and themes of the novels/publication. The argument of the first amendment has been brought up in many of these challenges in order to protect an authors rights, but the issue is still one of debate.

In the print industry there are different types of books. Trade books are sold to the general public and are fiction or non fiction. educational books are generally textbooks used in elementary, middle, and high school, and in college. Reference books are, of course, used as a references for studying and learning. Professional books are used in specific trades/occupations.

Big Question: With the advances in electronic reading, how will book publishers compete for sales of printed books? How will they adapt in order to continue in the printing business?