[bluGill]

I've seen arguments that most people were literate. Learning to read and write is not hard, and it is a useful skill.

Of course literate was relative: before the printing press there wasn't much to read (book took months to copy by hand). You were reading and writing short notes. Spelling wasn't standardized so you phonetically spelled things and had to figure out what the other person meant. Good enough for letters, but nobody was writing books on anything since teaching in person was (or seemed to be) more efficient.

I'm not a historian, but the above seems like a good argument. Does anyone have a real reference as to the truth?

[LegitShady]

It kind of seems like your job as someone making the claim to come up with a reference?

[bluGill]

I don't know how to do that.

[catlikesshrimp]

Learning to write is difficult. You need paper and pen, and free time, and some reference, and probably a teacher

[bluGill]

Paper is easy to make from bark. Charcoal pencils are easy to find (or make) in rhe common fire. Parents can teach their children.

[unionpivo]

Paper was expensive before modern industry. Don't have reference at hand, but I remember it because I read it from few different sources.

[bluGill]

Good paper was expensive. Bark paper is easy to make and works okay. You can also write on slates and other such things.