Hope you’re all doing great! Today’s post is a collaboration with Tia @ Tall Blonde Tales. She is an amazing friend who writes on relatable lifestyle topics in an informative and interactive manner. Apart from being a brilliant blogger, she is also a Potterhead! You have got to check out her Harry Potter bucket lists, they are fantastic!
Since, the both of us share a common love for reading, what better topic than that, to collaborate on? She penned down a stunning post mentioning the benefits of reading. Make sure you check out her take on the benefits of reading here!
And now for a blast back into the past (and eventual return)! Boy, I wish I could stay there for a while..
A HISTORY OF READING
I find it rather amusing that you’re reading a post about the history of reading while questioning your reading practices(at least overthinkers would!) I’ll get started by explaining what reading means, quoting Wikipedia of course, “Reading is the complex cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning. It is a form of language processing. Reading is a means for language acquisition, communication, and sharing information and ideas.”

I know history is often considered a boring subject by many but reading has saved and continues to save many lives both figuratively and literally, that I think not knowing a brief account of its history is almost a crime. Reading as an asocial solo activity is actually a relatively recent phenomenon.
Let’s go through its history one century at a time. Print technology dates back to as far as AD 594. The earliest kind of print technology, which was a system of hand printing was developed in China, Japan and Korea. According to Wikipedia, “The history of reading dates back to the invention of writing during the 4th millennium BC”.
The 13th, 14th and 15th centuries (one century at a time after this, I promise):
In 1295, i.e the 13th century, Marco Polo returned to Europe after a period of exploration in China. He brought the Chinese art of woodblock printing along with his return expediting the spread of this technology across Europe which subsequently, led to an increase in the demand for books which in turn, led to booksellers exporting books to many different countries. Johann Gutenberg came to the rescue when booksellers found it increasingly difficult to keep up with rapidly increasing demands by inventing a new method of printing. The Gutenberg Bible is known to be the first printed book and was printed in Europe in 1445 by Johannes Gutenberg.
Fast forward to the 17th century:
By the 17th century, text technologies like moveable type and the rise of vernacular writing gave birth to the leisure reading we practice today. Also, as urban culture gained more popularity in China, uses of print diversified.

The 18th century:
Quoting Wikipedia yet again, “during the Age of Enlightenment (1715-1789), elite individuals promoted passive reading, rather than creative interpretation. Reading has no concrete laws, but lets readers escape to produce their own products introspectively, promoting deep exploration of texts during interpretation.” Reading played an important role in the French Revolution(1789) where controversial views were published and spread in the form of brochures and magazines. These were also read aloud for the benefit of the illiterate. Naturally, through the 17th and 18th centuries, literacy rates increased in many parts of Europe.
The 18th century had some peculiar views which included considering the act of reading in bed as dangerous and immoral. It was also thought that reading would cause women to question existing practices and beliefs. This was a widespread belief in many countries around the world.
We’re almost there i.e the 21st century. Before the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840), only a tiny percentage of the population in many countries were considered literate. Europeans who could read did so aloud, Ancient Greeks and the monks of Europe did the same too. Classical Athens and the Islamic Caliphate were among the few pre-modern societies where the literacy levels were comparatively high.

The 19th century, finally:
By the 19th century, mandatory schooling, cheaper production, and wider availability of books caused a noticeable increase in the literacy rate which benefitted reading. Towards the end of the 19th century, gas and electric lighting also ensured that reading didn’t have to be limited to the day time.The development and subsequent growth of the rail network helped make novels cheaper still at railway stations. Spreading of literacy and diverse kinds of reading material led to people reading more voraciously (newspapers and periodicals) and by the late 1800s i.e the 19th century, it had branched out into children’s literature and novels.
The 20th century to the now:
Well, soon after came the 20th century where reading as we know became something of a usual act ranging from educational purposes to mental relaxation purposes. Something of a turning point in the 21st century was the increasing popularity of ebooks which substituted a large number of hard copies and became highly preferred due to the ease of use and portability it provided. But, interestingly, starting back in 1971, Michael S. Hart launched Project Gutenberg and digitized the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which became the first eBook in the world. The idea soon gained popularity and its public use skyrocketed with various companies producing their own e-readers and e-books.
This is by no means, a wholesome or compact history. We compiled information from a variety of sources and have mainly focused on the development of reading as both an act and hobby from the 13th century to the present while laying special emphasis on the European part although much of everything mentioned here took place at relatively the same time everywhere with variations due to socio-economic conditions and traditional beliefs in particular places.
So, that was all for the history. A huge thank you to Tia for doing this with me! I had great fun working with her! Don’t forget to check out her take on reading’s benefits here! Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think!
Previously on Random Specific Thoughts:
Disney Q&A with Renee
Similar Posts:
Parallels of Life (ft. Eleanor@Wishing Upon A Star)
Harry Potter Q&A with Aanya
Q&A with Catie

[…] always great to have context), I suggest you go and check out her blog right now! (Click the link here to read it). I’ll wait […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey hey!! I had so much fun doing this collab with you because not only did we get to talk about reading and books but I loved working with you so thank you so much!! Can’t wait for our next one 🙂 xxx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much!Me too! It really is amazing what books can do! I had great fun working with you as well! Me too!☺️❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved this collab D!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I know books are like little pockets of magic!! This was so much fun and I hope we get to work together again in the future 😊❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely! It definitely was! I hope so too😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Aanya! Make sure you check out Tia’s as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Already done D, here’s was posted a bit before you, so I read it first.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Time zones😂 Thank you so much, Aanya!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent Collab and you both have done a great job✨👍
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for sharing this brief history. Reading hasn’t been around very long when you think about human history. We take it for granted these days.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment!
Yes, I agree. We do take a lot of things for granted and reading is as you say, definitely one among them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I loved reading it all. It’s wonderfully written.
Good job.
Loved the collab work.
Bless you both😍😍👍👌👏
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much! We’re glad you liked it! Blessings to you too!❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤗🤗😊😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] A History of Reading (collab with Tia@Tall Blonde Tales) […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re most welcome!
Keep writing and inspiring ✨✍️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely post! You and Tia did amazing!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so much, Catie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great Collab, guys! Keep it up, ya filled more knowledge in my brain! x
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear that!😂❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow!! Both of you did amazing!! I loved reading the history about my beloved books….. It was so interesting!!🙂❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much, Amy! I’m glad you did!❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Journey is beautiful and when you accompanied by companion like her, it becomes memory!! Really good collab, 😁😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! We’re glad you enjoyed! Be sure to check out Tia’s post as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow..That looks well researched. Amazing👌
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, ma’am! Tia helped a lot in gathering points. Please check out her post as well!
LikeLike
Sure🙂👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Both of you did amazing work👍🏻waiting for some more such collabs..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Dulcy! I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment, finally found them in spam.😊❤
LikeLike
😃😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
😊😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this collab and this is such an interesting post! Great job with this 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is great! What inspired you to write this type of post??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool post! I love it when people do “The Evolution (or History) of Music” so I thought that this was really cool!!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much! We’re glad you enjoyed!
LikeLike
Thank you so much! Since we’re both avid readers (and Potterheads!!), we felt Reading was a good subject to collaborate on!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s an interesting idea! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment! Glad you liked it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a fantastic post. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing this wonderful blog.
LikeLike
This was really cool! I love learning stuff about bookish things. ;P
LikeLiked by 2 people
Such a cool idea and so much information I didn’t know! Thanks for sharing both of you! 🤗
LikeLiked by 2 people
We’re glad you found it informative! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment!😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. It is such an amazing and an informative post. I really loved it a lot. Great collab.😀🤗😀🥰
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! I’m delighted you think so!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was! I can tell you put a lot of effort into it!❤😘
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw.. thank you so much!❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! Me too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, I love this post!! It’s so beautiful and I love talking about readings and books💖 Such a great collab and thanks for sharing the history of reading( there’s was a lot I learned)!:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so happy you enjoyed this post! Me too! Yes, it was amazing to work with Tia! Don’t forget to check out her post as well!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment!! I’m delighted you found it informative!❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your most welcome dear!Yaay🤗🥰
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
😇😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
what a cool idea! thank you for all this awesome info!
❤
power to the local dreamer ||-//
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked it! My pleasure!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read!❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool idea!
LikeLike
[…] Posts:Poetry SeriesPoetry Shout-outs (Part 2)Previously on Random Specific Thoughts:A History Of Reading ( Collaboration with Tia @ Tall Blonde Tales)Disney Q&A with ReneeThursday […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] on Random Specific Thoughts:2 AMThursday RandomsSimilar Posts:A History of Reading )Collaboration with Tia@Tall Blonde Tales)Parallels of Life (ft. Eleanor@Wishing Upon A Star)Harry Potter Q&A with AanyaQ&A with […]
LikeLiked by 1 person