Pamphlets, Manuscripts, and Print: The Written Word in Early Modern Europe

Books and written materials became much more prevalent in the Early Modern Period, as the printing press spread works across Europe, literacy rates rose, and scientists, politicians, religious figures, and authors were encouraged not just to write but to publish. Many works were published in pamphlet form, an easily digestible format that was cheap and quick to produce. The works of Newton, Machiavelli, Luther, and Cervantes were available throughout Europe and served to create a common cultural heritage as well as spread new ideas through literacy.