In the beginning (don't you love it when a story or article begins - in the beginning)! At first, as people sought to record transactions, their history or laws, everything was written by hand. It took time to record small bits of information. Any book was a labor of love, and only available to the ruling class or members of the religion of the time. And so it was for hundreds of years. As the Black Plague in Europe wiped out hundreds of people, the landed lords or royals had to actually hire help. Farmers moved to the villages and towns that sprang up and the newly hired residents had to learn the rudiments of ciphering and reading to do business. Information about what was happening locally was important and that news became available. It was handwritten and pinned to the tavern door, or read aloud at the local inn by someone who ...