. As literacy and schools spread in European countries, there was a virtual reading mania that . developed. . New forms of popular literature appeared to target new readers. . There were ritual calendars along with ballads and folk tales. . In England, penny chapbooks were carried by petty pedlars, known as chapmen and sold for a penny, so that even the poor could buy them. . In France, these low-priced books were called ‘Biliotheque Blene’, as they were bound in cheap blue covers. . There were romances, histories, books of various sizes, serving different purposes and interests. . Periodical press developed to combine information on current affairs with entertainment. . The ideas of scientists and scholars had now become more accessible to the common people. . Scientists like Isaac Newton began to publish their discoveries. Writings of thinkers like . Thomas Paire, Voltaire and Rousseau also affected the thinking of the people.