- The first printing in Malayalam was done at Goa by a Spanish missionary Jovanas Gonsalvez.
- The Portuguese had started printing presses at Vaipin and at Cochin.
- The Hortus Malabaricus was prepared by the Dutch with the help of the traditional medical practitioners of Kerala.
- The name of each plant was given in Latin, Arabic,Sanskrit and in the Malayalam script also.
- This was published from Amsterdam during the period between 1678 and 1703 in twelve volumes.
- Apart from Leelathilakam, the first grammar work in Malayalam language was prepared by Dr. Anjelos Francis.
- The first complete printed book in the Malayalam language is the Samkshepavedartham. It was written by Father Clement explaining the doctrines of Christianity.
- Father Kariyattil Ousep wrote Malayalam book Vedatharkkam in 1768 to find a solution to the internal differences in the church. This book introduced the European style of prose writing.
- Varthamanapusthakam is the first travelogue in Malayalam written by Paramekal Thoma Kathanar published in 1780.
- Dr.Herman Gundert and Benjamin Baiely had shown so much of interest in the printing and publishing of Malayalam books during the 19th century.
- Bailey started the CMS press in 1821 and he published an English-Malayalam dictionary in 1846.
- The most famous and important English-Malayalam dictionary was written and published by in 1872
- The first newspaper in Malayalam, Rajyasamacharam and Paschimodayam were published form Thalasseri by Gundert.
- The Basel Mission started educational activities in Malabar from 1848 onwards.
- The Victoria College at Palakkad in 1866 and the Zamorin’s college at Kozhikkode in 1877 began as schools
- Ringle Tab was a Spanish missionary who gave admission to both boys and girls irrespective of their casts.
- The first girls school was started at Kottayam in 1821 by the women of CMS.
- English Missionary School at Mattancheri 1818 was started by Basel Evangelical Mission.
- The first Western education school of Malabar was started at Kannur in 1841.
- The Basel Mission started a primary school at Kallai and Thalassery
- The Basel Mission started the Brennan School at Thalassery in 1862.
- This school was later takin over by the government and it was developed in to the present Brennan College of Thalasseri.
Kerala Renaissance: The Role of Missionaries
