What we now think of as the modern book first started life as sheets of parchment, long scrolls, and etched tablets. But how did the book first come into existence? Starting in the Middle Ages, let us take a look at how bookmaking evolved through the ages.
Illuminated manuscripts
In the early Middle Ages, it was a renowned art form to be able to transcribe books by hand, and add illustrations to the text. In England, this was a task most commonly undertaken by monks, as they will have been trained in reading, writing, and penmanship.
Thus, the surviving medieval illuminated manuscripts are typically of religious texts, as the stories and poetry of the common man were still only being spread via oral tradition.
The first printed book
The first book to be printed, rather than handwritten, was created in China in 868. It was done using a woodblock printing technique, where the text was carved into a block of wood, and then pressed into ink, the raised areas printing the text onto the paper.
Block printing
Block printing is thought to have arrived in Egypt around 1250. However, historians are unsure whether the technique came over from Asia, or whether it developed separately of its own accord.
As most texts at this time were still primarily religious, this method of printing was introduced to reduce the risk of rogue scribes taking advantage of people. Instead, religious texts would be ensured to be consistent, and quotes from the Quran ensured to be accurate.
Moveable type comes to Europe
‘Moveable type’ uses moveable pieces to create words, sentences, and punctuation, rather than having to print each one by hand. Though it originated in China in around 1041, the technique wasn’t used in Europe until 1439.
The European variation was developed in Germany independently from the system used in Asia. Johannes Gutenberg used his knowledge of coin and mould making to create a system that used lead alloy cast letters, which is often regarded as the spark that began the printing press revolution.
Printing press revolution
As Gutenberg’s moveable type technique became increasingly popular due to its ease of use, the method began to be mechanised. With this, the modern printing press was invented, leading to mass production of prints by the late 15th century.
Penny dreadful
In 1832, popular fiction began to take off. These ‘penny dreadfuls’ were small, cheap (costing only a penny), and made entirely from paper, with no traditional backing or cover sleeve.
Paperbacks
As books continued to increase in popularity throughout the 19th century, by the beginning-to-mid 20th century, paperbacks were starting to take off. As they were priced cheaper than their hardback counterparts, it made reading more accessible to the masses.
Digital revolution
In the modern day, books are now mainly written, edited, published, printed and bound digitally. Thanks to the innovation of computers, printers, copiers, and automated machines like binding machines by Duplo, the art of creating a book is easier than ever before.
In fact, some books aren’t even printed! Since 1985, more and more books have been published as audiobooks, either on cassette tape, CD, or now, available on the internet, and as downloadable ebooks that can be read on a digital device.