The First Book Printed in the East.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 49, 4 December 1902, Page 20

The First Book Printed in the East.

A correspondent of the London ' Athenaeum,' R. P. Knrkann, writing from Tardeo, Bombay, India, states that the first book printed by Europeans in Asia was a catechism by St. Francis Xavier. This book was issued from the press at (3oa «n 1557. The authority given for this' statement is Dr. Gerson da Cunhn, who, in his valuable paper read before the International Congress of Orientalists at Florence in 1878, gave a sketch of the history of printing in Goa and a list of the earliest books printed there He says :—: — The exact date of the introduction of the press into Goa is unknown ; most probably about the time the College of St. Paul was built, where it was established. The first book printed there seems to be " Tratado ou Catechismo da Doctrina Christa," Goa, 1557,, ascribed to St. Francis Xavier. This was soon followed by numerous religioue tracts, catechisms and translations of the Bible.' In his posthumous work on the origin of Bombay (1000) Dr. Cunha states that the art of printing was introduced into India by Portuguese missionaries as early as 1556, the first printer being Joai da Bustamente, and the first book being the abene-mentioned catechism, written by St. Francis Xavier and printed in 1557, five years after the author's death. The next book was the ' Spiritual Compendium of the Christian Life,' by Don Gaspar de Leao Pereira, the first Archbishop of Goa, printed by Joan Quinquenio in 1561. and re-edited in Coimbra by Manuel de Aranio in 1600. The third was the ' Colloquios,' by Garcia da Orta. Besides the print-ing-press in. Goa, the Portuguese had introduced three others into .southern India, one being in She ancient city of Ambalacatta.