The development of printing from medallions to movable type was invented in 1450. The Renaissance was the first time European civilizations had access to printing. The art of printing had an immediate impact on European intellectual life and thought. The printing of books encouraged the development of academic research and the desire to acquire knowledge. The press also stimulated the development of an ever-expanding lay readership, which had an enormous impact on European society. Furthermore, without the printing press, the new religious ideas of the Reformation would never have spread as rapidly as they did in the 16th century. A primary source for the impact of printing is the Gutenberg Bible. The first major book printed in the West. It was the first Bible that had been printed. This is significant because middle-class individuals can now not only own books, but expand their knowledge about religion and learn to read. In the Middle Ages, books were expensive and education rare; only the clergy were habitual readers and owners of books. Books were written by hand by scribes or monks, and many people did not learn to read in the Middle Ages. Books were also written in Latin, a language that only the most educated people could understand. In the Renaissance, the educated middle class could now afford books with a choice of languages. The impact of the press is not