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A seal, in an East and Southeast Asian context is a general name for printing stamps and impressions thereof which are used in lieu of signatures in personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, art, or any item requiring acknowledgement or authorship. The process started in China and soon spread across East Asia.<br/><br/> Chinese seals are typically made of stone, sometimes of metals, wood, bamboo, plastic, or ivory, and are typically used with red ink or cinnabar paste.<br/><br/> Liulichang is a district in Beijing known for a series of traditional Chinese stone houses selling various crafts, arts and antiques. It is one of Beijing's traditional old quarters.
A seal, in an East and Southeast Asian context is a general name for printing stamps and impressions thereof which are used in lieu of signatures in personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, art, or any item requiring acknowledgement or authorship. The process started in China and soon spread across East Asia.<br/><br/> Chinese seals are typically made of stone, sometimes of metals, wood, bamboo, plastic, or ivory, and are typically used with red ink or cinnabar paste.<br/><br/> Liulichang is a district in Beijing known for a series of traditional Chinese stone houses selling various crafts, arts and antiques. It is one of Beijing's traditional old quarters.
A seal, in an East and Southeast Asian context is a general name for printing stamps and impressions thereof which are used in lieu of signatures in personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, art, or any item requiring acknowledgement or authorship. The process started in China and soon spread across East Asia.<br/><br/> Chinese seals are typically made of stone, sometimes of metals, wood, bamboo, plastic, or ivory, and are typically used with red ink or cinnabar paste.<br/><br/> Liulichang is a district in Beijing known for a series of traditional Chinese stone houses selling various crafts, arts and antiques. It is one of Beijing's traditional old quarters.
A seal, in an East and Southeast Asian context is a general name for printing stamps and impressions thereof which are used in lieu of signatures in personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, art, or any item requiring acknowledgement or authorship. The process started in China and soon spread across East Asia.<br/><br/> Chinese seals are typically made of stone, sometimes of metals, wood, bamboo, plastic, or ivory, and are typically used with red ink or cinnabar paste.<br/><br/> Liulichang is a district in Beijing known for a series of traditional Chinese stone houses selling various crafts, arts and antiques. It is one of Beijing's traditional old quarters.
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced the printing press. His usage of movable type printing started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.<br/><br/> Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing, in around 1439. Among his many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink; and the use of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period. His acclaim is due to the engineering of these elements into a practical system for the mass production of printed books, that was economically viable for printers and readers alike. Gutenberg's method for making type was an improvement over the Chinese Bi Sheng's from 400 years earlier, and is traditionally considered to have included a type metal alloy and a hand mould for casting type.<br/><br/> The use of durable metallic movable type allowed rapid mass production of printed works. Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe, and quickly replaced most of the handwritten manuscript methods of book production throughout the world. Woodblock printing, rubrication, and engraving continued to be used to supplement Gutenberg's printing process.<br/><br/> His first major work using his printing methods was the Gutenberg Bible.
The Namazu, also called the Onamazu, is a creature in Japanese mythology and folktales. The Namazu is a gigantic catfish said to cause earthquakes and tremors. Living in the mud under the Japanese isles, the Namazu is guarded by the protector god Kashima, who restrains the catfish using the <i>kaname-ishi</i> rock. Whenever Kashima lets his guard down, Namazu thrashes about and causes violent earthquakes.<br/><br/> The Namazu rose to new fame and popularity after the Ansei great earthquakes that happened near Edo in 1855. This led to the Namazu being worshipped as a god of world rectification (<i>yonaoshi daimyojin</i>), sent by the gods to correct some of the imbalances in the world.<br/><br/> Catfish woodblock prints known as <i>namazu-e</i> became their own popular genre within days of the earthquake. They were usually unsigned and often depicted scenes of a namazu or many namazu atoning for their deeds. They were quickly squashed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the prints censored and destroyed, with only a handful surviving to this day.
The Namazu, also called the Onamazu, is a creature in Japanese mythology and folktales. The Namazu is a gigantic catfish said to cause earthquakes and tremors. Living in the mud under the Japanese isles, the Namazu is guarded by the protector god Kashima, who restrains the catfish using the <i>kaname-ishi</i> rock. Whenever Kashima lets his guard down, Namazu thrashes about and causes violent earthquakes.<br/><br/> The Namazu rose to new fame and popularity after the Ansei great earthquakes that happened near Edo in 1855. This led to the Namazu being worshipped as a god of world rectification (<i>yonaoshi daimyojin</i>), sent by the gods to correct some of the imbalances in the world.<br/><br/> Catfish woodblock prints known as <i>namazu-e</i> became their own popular genre within days of the earthquake. They were usually unsigned and often depicted scenes of a namazu or many namazu atoning for their deeds. They were quickly squashed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the prints censored and destroyed, with only a handful surviving to this day.
The Namazu, also called the Onamazu, is a creature in Japanese mythology and folktales. The Namazu is a gigantic catfish said to cause earthquakes and tremors. Living in the mud under the Japanese isles, the Namazu is guarded by the protector god Kashima, who restrains the catfish using the <i>kaname-ishi</i> rock. Whenever Kashima lets his guard down, Namazu thrashes about and causes violent earthquakes.<br/><br/> The Namazu rose to new fame and popularity after the Ansei great earthquakes that happened near Edo in 1855. This led to the Namazu being worshipped as a god of world rectification (<i>yonaoshi daimyojin</i>), sent by the gods to correct some of the imbalances in the world.<br/><br/> Catfish woodblock prints known as <i>namazu-e</i> became their own popular genre within days of the earthquake. They were usually unsigned and often depicted scenes of a namazu or many namazu atoning for their deeds. They were quickly squashed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the prints censored and destroyed, with only a handful surviving to this day.
The Namazu, also called the Onamazu, is a creature in Japanese mythology and folktales. The Namazu is a gigantic catfish said to cause earthquakes and tremors. Living in the mud under the Japanese isles, the Namazu is guarded by the protector god Kashima, who restrains the catfish using the <i>kaname-ishi</i> rock. Whenever Kashima lets his guard down, Namazu thrashes about and causes violent earthquakes.<br/><br/> The Namazu rose to new fame and popularity after the Ansei great earthquakes that happened near Edo in 1855. This led to the Namazu being worshipped as a god of world rectification (<i>yonaoshi daimyojin</i>), sent by the gods to correct some of the imbalances in the world.<br/><br/> Catfish woodblock prints known as <i>namazu-e</i> became their own popular genre within days of the earthquake. They were usually unsigned and often depicted scenes of a namazu or many namazu atoning for their deeds. They were quickly squashed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the prints censored and destroyed, with only a handful surviving to this day.
The Namazu, also called the Onamazu, is a creature in Japanese mythology and folktales. The Namazu is a gigantic catfish said to cause earthquakes and tremors. Living in the mud under the Japanese isles, the Namazu is guarded by the protector god Kashima, who restrains the catfish using the <i>kaname-ishi</i> rock. Whenever Kashima lets his guard down, Namazu thrashes about and causes violent earthquakes.<br/><br/> The Namazu rose to new fame and popularity after the Ansei great earthquakes that happened near Edo in 1855. This led to the Namazu being worshipped as a god of world rectification (<i>yonaoshi daimyojin</i>), sent by the gods to correct some of the imbalances in the world.<br/><br/> Catfish woodblock prints known as <i>namazu-e</i> became their own popular genre within days of the earthquake. They were usually unsigned and often depicted scenes of a namazu or many namazu atoning for their deeds. They were quickly squashed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the prints censored and destroyed, with only a handful surviving to this day.
Kawanabe Kyosai (1831-1889) was a 19th century Japanese artist described by some as 'perhaps the last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting'. Born in Koga, Kyosai was the son of a samurai and was briefly tutored under Utagawa Kuniyoshi before settling in the Kano school.<br/><br/> Kyosai picked up a reputation for himself as a caricaturist, the first political caricaturist in Japan, after the revolution of 1867 that led to the Meiji Restoration. His caricatures resulted in multiple arrests and imprisonment by the shogunate authority. He was considereed by many as Hokusai's greatest successor, despite not studying under him.<br/><br/> In his personal life, Kyosai was wild and undisciplined, abandoning formal tradition for greater freedom. He loved to drink and was very exuberant, lacking the dignity, power and reticence of Hokusai and some other renowned Japanese painters of the time.
Aleppo's Great Bazaar (in Arabic, <i>suq</i> or <i>souq</i>) as we know it today was rebuilt first by the Egyptian Mamelukes who drove out the Mongols, and then, after 1516, by the Turks who incorporated Aleppo into the Ottoman Empire.<br/><br/> During the Syrian Civil War, which started in 2011, Aleppo's historic <i>suqs</i> suffered serious damage.<br/><br/> Aleppo, the second city of Syria and quite possibly the longest continually inhabited settlement in the world, is of venerable age. So old, indeed, that its Arabic name, Halab, is first mentioned in Semitic texts of the third millennium BCE. Situated in the north-west of the country, just a few kilometres from the Turkish frontier, Aleppo is located at the confluence of several great trade routes and, as a city of commerce, has always been rich.
Aleppo's Great Bazaar (in Arabic, <i>suq</i> or <i>souq</i>) as we know it today was rebuilt first by the Egyptian Mamelukes who drove out the Mongols, and then, after 1516, by the Turks who incorporated Aleppo into the Ottoman Empire.<br/><br/> During the Syrian Civil War, which started in 2011, Aleppo's historic <i>suqs</i> suffered serious damage.<br/><br/> Aleppo, the second city of Syria and quite possibly the longest continually inhabited settlement in the world, is of venerable age. So old, indeed, that its Arabic name, Halab, is first mentioned in Semitic texts of the third millennium BCE. Situated in the north-west of the country, just a few kilometres from the Turkish frontier, Aleppo is located at the confluence of several great trade routes and, as a city of commerce, has always been rich.
Aleppo's Great Bazaar (in Arabic, <i>suq</i> or <i>souq</i>) as we know it today was rebuilt first by the Egyptian Mamelukes who drove out the Mongols, and then, after 1516, by the Turks who incorporated Aleppo into the Ottoman Empire.<br/><br/> During the Syrian Civil War, which started in 2011, Aleppo's historic <i>suqs</i> suffered serious damage.<br/><br/> Aleppo, the second city of Syria and quite possibly the longest continually inhabited settlement in the world, is of venerable age. So old, indeed, that its Arabic name, Halab, is first mentioned in Semitic texts of the third millennium BCE. Situated in the north-west of the country, just a few kilometres from the Turkish frontier, Aleppo is located at the confluence of several great trade routes and, as a city of commerce, has always been rich.
John Adams (October 30 – July 4, 1826) was an American lawyer, author, statesman, and diplomat. He served as the second President of the United States (1797–1801), the first Vice President (1789–97), and as a Founding Father was a leader of American independence from Great Britain.<br/><br/> Adams was a political theorist in the Age of Enlightenment who promoted republicanism and a strong central government. His innovative ideas were frequently published. He was also a dedicated diarist and correspondent, particularly with his wife and key advisor Abigail.
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776). He was elected the second Vice President of the United States (1797–1801), serving under John Adams and in 1800 was elected the third President (1801–09).<br/><br/> Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, which motivated American colonists to break from Great Britain and form a new nation. He produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national level.
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.<br/><br/> Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy.
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced the printing press. His usage of movable type printing started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.<br/><br/> Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing, in around 1439. Among his many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink; and the use of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period. His acclaim is due to the engineering of these elements into a practical system for the mass production of printed books, that was economically viable for printers and readers alike. Gutenberg's method for making type was an improvement over the Chinese Bi Sheng's from 400 years earlier, and is traditionally considered to have included a type metal alloy and a hand mould for casting type.<br/><br/> The use of durable metallic movable type allowed rapid mass production of printed works. Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe, and quickly replaced most of the handwritten manuscript methods of book production throughout the world. Woodblock printing, rubrication, and engraving continued to be used to supplement Gutenberg's printing process.<br/><br/> His first major work using his printing methods was the Gutenberg Bible.
James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was a political theorist, American statesman, and the fourth President of the United States (1809–17).<br/><br/> He is hailed as the 'Father of the Constitution' for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Wang Zhen (Wade–Giles: Wang Chen, fl. 1290 – 1333) was an official of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368 CE). He was one of the early innovators of the wooden movable type printing system.<br/><br/> His illustrated agricultural treatise was also one of the most advanced of its day, covering a wide range of equipment and technologies available in the late 13th and early 14th century.
James Monroe (April 28, 1758 – July 4, 1831) was the fifth President of the United States, serving between 1817 and 1825. Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States and the last president from the Virginian dynasty and the Republican Generation.<br/><br/> He gained experience as an executive as the Governor of Virginia and rose to national prominence as a diplomat in France, when he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the War of 1812, Monroe held the critical roles of Secretary of State and the Secretary of War under President James Madison.
George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was the first President of the United States (1789–97), the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.<br/><br/> He presided over the convention that drafted the current United States Constitution and during his lifetime was called the 'father of his country'.
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919) was an American statesman, author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, and reformer who served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909.<br/><br/> As a leader of the Republican Party during this time, he became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century.
William McKinley (January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 25th President of the United States from March 4, 1897 until his assassination in September 1901, six months into his second term.<br/><br/> McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, raised protective tariffs to promote American industry, and maintained the nation on the gold standard in a rejection of inflationary proposals.
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff (8 July 1803 – 9 August 1851), anglicised as Charles Gutzlaff, was a German missionary to the Far East, notable as one of the first Protestant missionaries in Bangkok, Thailand and for his books about China.<br/><br/> He was one of the first Protestant missionaries in China to dress like a Chinese. He gave himself a Chinese name, (pinyin: GuÅ Shìlì), but later on GuÅ Shílà became his official Chinese name. Gutzlaff Street in Hong Kong was named after him.
A page from the Diamond Sutra, printed in the 9th year of Xiantong Era of the Tang Dynasty, or 868 CE. The earliest complete examle a dated printed book, it was collected by Aurel Stein from the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, Gansu, in 1907.<br/><br/> The Diamond SÅ«tra (Sanskrit: VajracchedikÄ PrajñÄpÄramitÄ SÅ«tra) is a short and well-known MahÄyÄna sÅ«tra of the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ or 'Perfection of Wisdom' genre and emphasizes the practice of non-abiding and non-attachment. The title properly translated is the Diamond Cutter of Perfect Wisdom although it is usual to refer to it as the Diamond SÅ«tra.<br/><br/> A copy of the Chinese version of Diamond SÅ«tra found among the Dunhuang manuscripts in the early 20th century and dated back to 868 is in the words of the British Library, 'the earliest complete survival of a dated printed book'.
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced the printing press. His usage of movable type printing started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.<br/><br/> Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing, in around 1439. Among his many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink; and the use of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period. His acclaim is due to the engineering of these elements into a practical system for the mass production of printed books, that was economically viable for printers and readers alike. Gutenberg's method for making type is an improvement over the Chinese Bi Sheng's from 400 years earlier, and is traditionally considered to have included a type metal alloy and a hand mould for casting type.<br/><br/> The use of durable metallic movable type allowed rapid mass production of printed works. Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe, and quickly replaced most of the handwritten manuscript methods of book production throughout the world. Woodblock printing, rubrication, and engraving continued to be used to supplement Gutenberg's printing process.<br/><br/> His first major work using his printing methods was the Gutenberg Bible.
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced the printing press. His usage of movable type printing started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.<br/><br/> Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing, in around 1439. Among his many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink; and the use of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period. His acclaim is due to the engineering of these elements into a practical system for the mass production of printed books, that was economically viable for printers and readers alike. Gutenberg's method for making type is an improvement over the Chinese Bi Sheng's from 400 years earlier, and is traditionally considered to have included a type metal alloy and a hand mould for casting type.<br/><br/> The use of durable metallic movable type allowed rapid mass production of printed works. Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe, and quickly replaced most of the handwritten manuscript methods of book production throughout the world. Woodblock printing, rubrication, and engraving continued to be used to supplement Gutenberg's printing process.<br/><br/> His first major work using his printing methods was the Gutenberg Bible.
At left in the foreground, a printer removes a printed page from the press. The printer at right is inking the plate. In the background, compositors are using cast type. Presses of this type could make 240 prints per hour.
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced the printing press. His usage of movable type printing started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.<br/><br/> Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing, in around 1439. Among his many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink; and the use of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period. His acclaim is due to the engineering of these elements into a practical system for the mass production of printed books, that was economically viable for printers and readers alike. Gutenberg's method for making type is an improvement over the Chinese Bi Sheng's from 400 years earlier, and is traditionally considered to have included a type metal alloy and a hand mould for casting type.<br/><br/> The use of durable metallic movable type allowed rapid mass production of printed works. Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe, and quickly replaced most of the handwritten manuscript methods of book production throughout the world. Woodblock printing, rubrication, and engraving continued to be used to supplement Gutenberg's printing process.<br/><br/> His first major work using his printing methods was the Gutenberg Bible.
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff (8 July 1803 – 9 August 1851), anglicised as Charles Gutzlaff, was a German missionary to the Far East, notable as one of the first Protestant missionaries in Bangkok, Thailand and for his books about China. He was one of the first Protestant missionaries in China to dress like a Chinese. He gave himself a Chinese name, (pinyin: GuÅ Shìlì), but later on GuÅ Shílà became his official Chinese name. Gutzlaff Street in Hong Kong was named after him.
In 1840, a group of four people (Walter Henry Medhurst, Charles Gutzlaff, Elijah Coleman Bridgman, and John Robert Morrison) cooperated to translate the Bible into Chinese. The translation of the Hebrew part was done mostly by Gutzlaff, with the exception that the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua were done by the group collectively. This translation, completed in 1847, is well-known due to its adoption by the revolutionary peasant leader Hong Xiuquan of the Taipingtianguo movement (Taiping Rebellion) as some of the reputed early doctrines of the organization.
Samuel Dyer (20 February 1804 – 24 October 1843), arrived in Penang in 1827 and with his wife Maria, lived there until 1835. He and his family then moved to Malacca leaving for Singapore in 1842.<br/><br/>He was known as a typographer for creating a steel typeface of Chinese characters for printing to replace traditional wood blocks. Dyer's type was accurate, aesthetically pleasing, durable and practical.
<i>Nishiki-e</i> were a type of multi-coloured woodblock print from Japan. The technique was primarily used in <i>ukiyo-e</i>, and was invented in the 1760s. Before this woodblock prints were usually in black-and-white and were coloured either by hand or with the addition of one or two colour ink blocks, but <i>nishiki-e</i> printing changed that.<br/><br/><i>Nishiki-e</i> was credited to an engraver named Kinroku, but it was popularised and perfected by Suzuki Harunobu. <i>Nishiki-e</i> is sometimes also known as <i>Edo-e</i>, and became very popular during the Meiji Period, especially during the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), where over 3,000 prints were made in that 9-month period.
Mirza Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar (Urdu: ابو ظÙر سÙراج٠الْدین محمد بÙÛادر Ø´Ø§Û Ø¸Ùر‎), better known as Bahadur Shah Zafar (Urdu: بÛادر Ø´Ø§Û Ø¯ÙˆÙ…‎), on 24 October 1775 – died 7 November 1862), was the last Mughal emperor and a member of the Timurid Dynasty.<br/><br/> Zafar was the son of Mirza Akbar Shah II and Lalbai, who was a Hindu Rajput, and became Mughal Emperor when his father died on 28 September 1837. He used Zafar, a part of his name, meaning 'victory', for his nom de plume as an Urdu poet, and he wrote many Urdu ghazals under it.<br/><br/> After his involvement in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British tried and then exiled him from Delhi and sent him to Rangoon (now Yangon) in British-controlled Burma (Myanmar).
Yuan dynasty banknote with its printing plate, 1287, utilising Chinese characters and the phags-pa Tibetan script adapted from Tibetan for Use with Mongolian on the orders of Kublai Khan, c. 1269.
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced the printing press. His usage of movable type printing started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.<br/><br/> Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing, in around 1439. Among his many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink; and the use of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period. His acclaim is due to the engineering of these elements into a practical system for the mass production of printed books, that was economically viable for printers and readers alike. Gutenberg's method for making type is an improvement over the Chinese Bi Sheng's from 400 years earlier, and is traditionally considered to have included a type metal alloy and a hand mould for casting type.<br/><br/> The use of durable metallic movable type allowed rapid mass production of printed works. Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe, and quickly replaced most of the handwritten manuscript methods of book production throughout the world. Woodblock printing, rubrication, and engraving continued to be used to supplement Gutenberg's printing process.<br/><br/> His first major work using his printing methods was the Gutenberg Bible.