How had the Imperial State in China been the major producer of printed material for a long time? Explain with examples.

OR

How had novels been easily available to the masses in Europe during the nineteenth century? Explain with examples.

China had a huge bureaucratic system which recruited its personnel through civil service examinations. Under the sponsorship of the imperial state, textbooks for this examination were printed in vast numbers. From the sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went up and that increased the volume of print. That is why the imperial state in China was a major producer of printed material for a long time.

OR

The novels been easily available to the masses in Europe during the nineteenth century. The following examples support the answer:

1. Petty peddlers sold books for a penny in England, making it easier for the poorest of the poor to read it.

2. Novels catered to the needs of the common people.

3. With the improvements in technology, the price of the books fell and new methods of marketing increased the sale.