Polytechnic University of the Philippines

College of Communication

Department of Communication Research

NDC Campus Anonas Street Sta. Mesa, Manila

Adventures of Kapitan Papel

Term Paper on Books

Comillo, Jay Ann

Gamilong, Jahdiel

Santos, Jewel

Vilar, Jingky

BACR 1-1

group1.introtocomm@gmail.com

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

COMM 20023 Introduction to Communication and Media

First Semester AY 2019-2020

September 05, 2019

1.0 Introduction

Robert Darnton (1982) pertained books as a communication by print. As mentioned by

Bollerman, (2015) Elizabeth Oakes Smith stated that these “…are the natural outgrowth of
thought.” Bollerman also added that through books, authors are able to not just express their
thoughts to other people but it also allows them to share a part of themselves. She also mentioned
Plato’s observation saying: “…they communicate thoughts over great expanses of time and space
and even beyond death. It is often observed by readers that you seem to know an author by
reading his books.”

“A book is a set of written, printed, illustrated or blank sheets made up of ink, paper or
parchment (animal skin used in writing) bind together along one edge within covers”

(Gautam, 2013).

When we talk about the serial publication, books are being called monograph in order to
clearly distinguish them between other media such as magazines and newspapers. A monograph
is being defined as a writing on a specialized or specific subject. Looking in to the history and
development of media, these are the oldest form which were produced by handwriting and were
later compiled. Before, books were only accessible to limited people (particularly the wealthy
ones), but as new forms of media started to grow (technological advancements), people are
having an easier access to different accounts/writings.

People may have different lists and identification of strengths and weaknesses of a book,
but these are the common strengths and weaknesses listed.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

● More credible ● Literacy barrier.

● Robust and durable ● Lacks timeliness compared to
● Does not require a power source like a newspaper or magazines.
computer. ● Comparatively expensive.
● When it comes to convenience:
- Cannot be read in the dark
- Take up much room, are heavy
to carry (especially when
traveling).
● Environmentally questionable because
of them use large quantities of paper.
2.0 Origin and History of Books
In ancient times, Papyrus scrolls were considered as their very first books which may
seem atypical. It originates in Egypt around 2400 BC. However, some historians suggest that it
may have been used as early as 3100 BC. It is created with the material called Papyrus, a thick
material from the plant stem of the name itself. It was used by Egyptians which was then adopted
by the Greeks and Romans. Scrolls were rolled and placed inside a wooden tube for protection.
Another material used was Parchment which is made of calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin. It was
invented due to the shortage in Papyrus. Fine quality parchments were known as Vellum and was
called as finest writing material ever devised.

2.1 Paper Revolution

In China, it was generally accepted that a Eunuch and Minister of Public works of the
emperor named Ts'ai Lun invented Paper but may have only took credited for someone else's
invention. It said that he observed wasp chew plants into a moist pulp and pressed them in layers
for its nest. This became an inspiration and used it as the idea of creating paper. It travelled to
Western countries through Arabs who invaded Samarkand, a city in southern-eastern Uzbekistan
on 751. They found that several of their prisoners are Chinese Papermakers who gave up secrets
voluntarily and some due to being under torture. The first book printed on Paper in China used
xylographic printing, also known as woodblock printing, originally invented as early as 220 AD.
It is when a block of wood is carved with the content to be imprinted down and inked. Block
printing was also popular in Egypt even though it was uncertain whether it was influenced by
Asian countries, however, it never fully developed. With the printing of books came in Europe,
censorship became a great ordeal to the printers as Publishing were under the thumbs of
authorities. Disobedient printers usually suffer from punishments such as fines, prison,
whippings and death sentence

2.2 Printing Revolution

A system of printing developed by Johannes Gutenberg in 1939 called Gutenberg Press
was a metal movable type system produced from lead alloy that allows a more durable and
uniform lettering. It said that it was separately invented to movable type invented by Chinese
inventor Bi Sheng in 990–1051 AD during the Song dynasty. The Gutenberg Press then
expanded the printing business, starting with the Gutenberg Bible. The Gutenberg Bible was the
first major book published using the invention, with 180 copies on paper and 30 on parchment. It
spread to approximately 236 countries producing more than 20 million books and was
considered in universal use throughout Europe.

2.3 Printing and Publishing in the Philippines

Printing and Publishing of books started from the arrival of the Spanish colonizers in the
year 1545. In order to communicate with the Filipinos, they found the need to learn the
vernacular language yet still teach Spanish to limited social classes. To understand the language,
missionaries wrote dictionaries, grammars and catechism. It was said that from 1580 to 1610,
seven dictionaries and nine grammars were written yet could not be found. In 1593, Father
Domingo de Nieva, supported Chinese printer Keng Yong, built the first printing press in the
Philippines. This printing press was a simple xylographic press or woodblock printing. However,
despite the emergence of printing press in the country, most books produced were not meant for
Filipinos as it was usually written in Spanish.

2.4 First Book Printed in the Philippines

The first book printed in the Philippines was the Doctrina Christiana, now located in
Washington Library of Congress, written by Juan de Plasencia in 1593. Doctrina Christiana is
the spanish of Spanish for “Christian Doctrine” or “The Teachings of Christianity. It is written in
three languages: Spanish, Tagalog in the native Baybayin characters, and Latin script.
Additionally, there was also a Doctrina Christiana printen in the Chinese language. Juan de
Plasencia’s text was approved in the Synod of Manila in 1582. It is believed that there are four
Catholic religious orders contributed to the production of the book, however, it was the
Dominicans who printed the book.

3.0 Audience
They say that books are for all ages. Kids, adults, students uses books, it actually depends
on the socio-cultural of the reader. The environment, background, or the person's interest can be
a factor to determine who are the audience or the people who use books as a medium. According
to the 2017 readership survey: Reading behavior and patterns of purchase, in the Philippines
there are 84.99% of youths who reads printed books and 76.74% of adults who also reads the
same medium.

4.0 Current Developments in Books

In many years, we can see the huge changes on book industry since its creation. From the
invention of traditional papyrus scroll to digitalized/electronic books powered by the new
technologies. We created new technologies to make life easier and now it affects how people
view and experience literature. With the birth of digital media, old media industries such as the
book industries, must find a way to embrace the new ones. Some are dread that new technologies
might destroy the book industry while others expecting that new technologies is an advantage to
develop and reshape the book industry. However, With all of the options available in the market,
there simply no way to not enjoy reading.
4.1 E-BOOKS
The first ebook readers were related to the personal digital assistant (PDA) devices,
pocket-sized electronics that could store and display large amounts of text, that became popular
in the 1990s. Ebooks make up less than 5 percent of the current book market, but that number is
growing. Because ebooks is make reading books so much easier, it became popular and increase
it sales but because some people do not have new digital devices, people tend to buy physical
copies of books rather than e-books. Later on, the sales of e-books is grow. An ebook reader has
the space to store thousands of titles in an object smaller and lighter than the average hardcover
novel. By using e-books you can have more literature in one device which is better than buying a
one book at a higher cost. Again, it is easy to carry and affordable.

4.2 Digitalized Library

A digital library stores its materials in a digital format, accessible by computers. Some
digital libraries can be accessed locally; others can be accessed remotely through a computer
network (Lule,2017). The idea of digitalized library help many people to post or put their work
online. For example, you want to have a novel in the form of an ebook then you can store it in a
digital library so that people can read your work on computer.

Part of what made Gutenberg’s printing press so revolutionary was that it allowed books
to be mass produced. In medieval times, readers often commissioned a scribe to copy a text by
hand, a process that could take months or even years. But despite their many conveniences,
printed books carry their own risks for authors and publishers. Producing books in bulk means
that publishers are taking a gamble, attempting to publish enough books to satisfy demand, but
not so many that unwanted copies linger in warehouses. When a book doesn’t sell as much as
expected, the publisher may end up taking a loss if the costs of publishing the book exceed the
revenue from its sale. Interestingly, modern technology has made it feasible for some authors and
publishers to turn to an updated version of the medieval model of producing books on demand
for specific customers, allowing them to avoid the risk of carrying a large inventory of books that
may or may not sell (Lule,2017).

4.3 Print on Demand

According to Lule, Print on demand is a system in which book is printed on demand, a
system which book is printed only after an order received, and increasing trend of self publishing
may reshape industry in the 21st century. The idea of print on demand save up many of the
publishing companies taking risk at printing bulks of books that may not sell and end up by
shredded books which may lead to a huge loss of money.
4.5 Self Publishing
According to Lule,Self publishing a system that involves an author, not a third-party
company,being in charge of producing and publishing a work is not a new concept. The idea of
self publishing helps the aspiring authors to publish a book without applying in a company. Also
it breaks the stigma of only publishing authors can produce a book.

5.0 Prospects of the Medium

Through the years, we have seen the booming developments in the advancement of
technology and all these advancements had changed the way we live. In terms of writing, from
using the heaviest medium in writing to having the most convenient way to write was just one of
the many discoveries technology has given us and it is undeniably very helpful and essential in
our daily lives. Indeed, technology has made our lives easier to live.

Books are one of the many good things that were invented before. By reading and
publishing books, people discovered a lot of things that helped shape our society. And because
our society is rapidly developing because of the booming of technology, many questions arose.
What is the future of books in the digital age?

5.1 What the Literature says

In the book ​The Future of Books in the Digital Age,​ it considers the future of books in the
digital age. As more books are being published today than it was before, this publication with the
contributions of some of the world’s leading authorities addresses some critically important
things related to books such as ​the present and future for publishing, libraries, literacy and
learning in the information society. Cope and Philips (2006) stated that, In the mid 1990’s the
printed word gave off an impression of being confronting a terminal emergency, compromised
from all sides by new media and different types of entertainment. Hence the book has
demonstrated to be resilient despite these difficulties, confounding the forecasts of the
individuals who saw its replacement, while digital technology is giving mechanisms that upgrade
and enhance our capacity to deliver and circulate printed books. New advancements, for
example, the development of independently publishing and print on demand, and activities from
major players, for example, Amazon and Google, imply that the printed book is in the middle of
great changes.

5.2 Insights

There is a saying that there are two sides of a coin. Either the books will survive amidst
the challenges it is facing due to the booming of technology or it will vanish. There are a lot of
possibilities but here are some points to consider:
 Printed books might vanish because we can now read books in just a type away in our
phones, tablets and other gadgets. We can now have a whole library on our gadgets, we can
access and read books anytime and everywhere without weight baggage. E-books are also
cheaper and much affordable than a physical book. Readers can’t bring too many books with
them anywhere because of its weight. It is also less hassle because E-books has a long lifespan
than physical books, it is also safe from decomposition.

On the other hand, despite the advantages of having books inside our gadgets, there is
what we call Digital divide. It is one of the reasons books will survive amidst digital age because
there is a huge gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern ​information
and communications technology and those that don't or have restricted access. As all we know,
in our country, there are still a huge population of people who don’t have access to modern
technologies or if they have it is only limited. People also believed that using E-books are
eco-friendly. Patronizing E-books means less production of paper and we know that paper is
from trees. On the other hand, resources used for the production of trees are renewable.

Every time a new technology comes along, there are people who always say the old
technology is dead. After photography, people said there will be no more painting. After digital
music, they said there are going to be no more analog or live performances. But it is not always
like that, old invented technology can still be present even if there is a new technology invented.
Just like now, even though we can already read on our phones, tablets and other gadgets, the
industry of book publishing is still steady because there is still a high demand for printed books.

We’ll never know what the future holds but one thing’s for sure, books are undoubtedly
one of the greatest inventions in the past because it led to discoveries that helped shape the
society we have today. Technology will help in the enhancement of printed books such as faster
publishing and distribution of printed books, different language translations of E-book for all to
easily read a certain book and of course, books for the handicapped. Technology will lead books
to be accessible for all.
References
Johnson, W. Brad, and Charles R. Ridley, 2008, The Elements of Ethics for Professionals,
New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
National Committees for Research Ethics in Norway.(2006). Guidelines for research ethics in
the social sciences, law and the humanities.
Lule, Jack, 2017 Books: Brief History, Development, Trends, and Current Technology.
Retrieved
from https://brewminate.com/books-brief-history-development-trends-and-current-
technology/
Underwood, H., & Findlay, B. (2004).Internet relationships and their impact on primary
relationships.Behaviour Change, 21(2), 127-140.
(1999). The Evolution of the Book. Retrieved from ​https://sfbook.com/the-evolution-
of-the-book.
Tejada, R. A. (2017). Movable Type - the very first printer and a brief look at its history.
Retrieved from ​https://medium.com/@RossAlTejada/movable-type-the-very-
first-printer-and-a-brief-look-at-its-history-4228bde57e9a
(2018, April 19). Early writing and printing in the Philippines. Retrieved from
https://hiphilangsci.net/2013/07/10/early-writing-and-printing-in-the-philippines/
Wolf, E. (2005). Doctrina Christiana. Retrieved from ​http://www.gutenberg.org/files/
16119/16119-h/16119-h.htm
Cope,B. & Philips A. (2006). The Future of Books in the Digital Age. Retrieved from
https://www.elsevier.com/books/the-future-of-the-book-in-the-digital-age/cope/
978-1-84334-240-3

Annexures

Physical Visual Aid - Story Book entitled, Adventures of Kapitan Papel (Passed on the day of
presentation)
Powerpoint Presentation (Attached)