The Gutenberg printing press was an invention that revolutionized the world in the 16th century. This process eliminated the need to rewrite books by hand and instead used a machine which worked much quicker than a person. This printing press readily increased the number of books available to the general public.
Since the cost of books decreased due to this machine, more people had access to the books. This helped to increase the literacy rate all over Europe, as books were no long monopolized by wealthy elite citizens.