The first printing press in the US was established in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1639 by the widow of Rev. Joseph Glover and his assistant Stephen Daye. The press became part of Harvard College and the first American newspaper was printed in Boston in 1690.
The first printing press in what is now the United States was established long before the nation was founded. The Rev. Joseph Glover organized the shipment of a printing press to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1638. Glover died en route to North America, but his widow and Stephen Daye, one of the reverend’s assistants, continued the project. The printing press went into operation in 1639, with the first completed print job being a copy of Freeman’s oath. In later years, the widowed Glover married Henry Dunster, then president of Harvard College. The press continued operations as part of the college, which in turn helped legitimize the press in the minds of the general public.
Learn more about printing in the United States:
Many nations established printing presses long before there was one in the American colonies. Mexico had established a printing press as early as 1534, more than a hundred years before the Cambridge operation. In Germany, the Gutenberg Bible was printed using a press during the period 1452-1454. Major European population centers, such as Rome, Paris and London, all had printing presses during the 15th century.
The first American newspaper was printed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1690. Entitled Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, publication was soon suspended for being published without the benefit of a royal license.
Paperbacks first appeared in the mid-1840s as supplements to newspapers but were soon sold separately. In 1980, nearly 70% of all books sold in the United States each year were paperbacks.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
