The Dominican Order and the Printing Press

The printing press was arguably one of the most important pre modern innovations. Why did some European cities adopt it and not others? I argue that the Dominican monastic order played a key role in explaining the diffusion of the printing press, as the technology was helpful in pursuing the order’s spiritual and missionary goals. The article documents that cities with a Dominican monastery prior to the invention of the printing press, were more than twice as likely to adopt the press following its invention.