Did people have to read aloud before the last fee centuries?

by Bruceleeroy18

I have come across a couple refrences while reading that state very few people could read silently until around the 1600-1700s. Is this true? Does anyone have a book or more evidence to point me towards? The most recent refrence i found was in "At Day's Close:Night in Times Past".

Searocksandtrees

hi! there's lots of room for input about various other cultures, but you can get started on these posts