In the early part of  the  1400s,  a  German  goldsmith
named Johann Gutenberg used his skills with relatively soft,
malleable  metals  and an old winepress to fashion the first
workable press with moveable type.  Until that  moment,  all
books  were  copied  by  hand  - usually by robed monks in a
monestary.  Until that moment, it was the monks who  decided
what  books  we  could  or  could not read - what was fit or
unfit for the human mind.   Until  that  time,  the  largest
"library"  in  Europe  contained  only  fourteen hand-copied
books.

     Now,  thanks  to  Johann  Gutenberg,   the   publishing
industry was born and hundreds of books - thousands of books
could be printed in the time it would take the monks to copy
a single one.

     Since  that  time,  many publishers have published many
books that they knew would not be  a  commercial  success  -
never  be  a  Blockbuster  Seller.  However, many books have
been published simply because someone  recognized  the  fact
that these books were needed as a part of our culture.