3500 BC - Cylinder Seal - used to create 'picture story' by rolling an impression onto a two-dimensional surface, generally wet clay (Mesopotamia)
2500 BC - Papyrus used in Egypt
1000 BC - Parchment from animal skins begins being used as rival to papyrus
220 AD - Woodblock printing - used in China (also used in Egypt in 4th Century)
300 AD - Codices used by Romans with vellum
1040 AD - Movable type - ceramic or metal tablets were used (created in China by Bi Sheng)
1440 AD - Printing Press - invented by Johannes Gutenberg
1800s AD - Invention of cylinder printing press
Library of Alexandria
The Library of Alexandria, named after Alexander the Great, was the major center of scholarship from its construction in the third century B.C. until its destruction in 48 B.C. Alexander, although picking the site and planning the general layout of the city, died before he could take part in the construction of the library that was created in his name. It's not known how the library was destroyed, but Plutarch wrote during his visit to Alexandria in 48 BC, that Julius Caesar might have accidentally burned the library when he set fire to his own ships to frustrate Achilles' attempt to limit his ability to communicate by sea. According to Plutarch's account, this fire spread to the docks and then to the library. The Library of Alexandria was the first known library dedicated to gathering a serious collection of books from beyond its country's borders and trying to collect all the world's knowledge.
Gutenberg Printing Press
The invention of the Gutenberg Printing Press by the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg in 1440 revolutionized the world and allowed books to be produced in mass quantities for the first time. Considered by many to be one of the influential inventions of all time, the printing press allowed books to be created very quickly in an assembly-line style. A single Renaissance printing press could produce 3,600 pages per workday, compared to forty by hand-printing and a few by hand-copying.