"Books and doors are the same things. You open them, and you go through into another world."
- Jeanette Winterson
Everyone everywhere delights in a good book. Whether it'd be fiction, non-fiction, magazines, textbooks, recipe books, or a simple journal. Books are one of the most significant inventions in the world. They have brought about a lot of developments in the past and in our world today. Yet, has anyone ever stopped to question how books came into existence? Let's take a look at history.
Earliest Book Discoveries
No one can truly pinpoint when the first book came to be or who was the very first inventor of them. However, if you think about it books date back to our earliest ancestors who drew or painted their heritage and stories on the walls of caves. The earliest books recorded in history were the Sumerians pictograms on clay tablets, in 3,000 BC. The Egyptians used papyrus scrolls in the same era.
Around 500 BC, the first books were created as hand-written scrolls. These scrolls were popular in France, Germany, and England. Martin Luther and the leaders of the Protestant Reformation used them to persuade the people of the Catholic Church's motives.
The first paper book is said to have originated in China. Made from mulberries, hemp, bark, and even fish to form the paper. The sheets were about the size of a newspaper and were called "leaves."
The Beginning of Printing
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg or Johannes Gutenberg for short was a German craftsman and inventor who made the printing of books possible. In the 1400's he developed the moveable-type printing press.
His invention was thought to have been made from a metal alloy that could melt quickly to form durable and reusable type, oil-based ink thick enough to fasten to the metal type and transfer smoothly to paper or vellum. Gutenberg's creation was considered history-changing for making books widely accessible and ringing in a world of information.
The world's earliest printed book is the Diamond Sutra, an ancient and popular Mahayana Buddhist text that was widely used in east Asia. Although the exact date of its printing is unknown it is believed to have been created between the 2nd and 5th centuries CE.
Book Covers Arrival
In the year 1832, book covers became very trendy. These covers were the softbacks that we know today. Books that cost a penny in America and Britain were rewrites of gothic horror novels that ever time earn the name "Penny Dreadful". Not everyone could afford these books so friends got together and split the cost, creating the first book clubs.
Publishers began to publish hardback books, aiming at wealthy audiences in the 19th century. This caused an upstart about the difference in books. Hardback books were seen as fine works of literature and softbacks were seen as childish and foolish.
Today's Books
Through the years the problem was eventually solved, making all kinds of books available to everyone. Books have changed the world forever. Not only do we have physical copies, but because of the advanced technologies of today, we can also have them electronically. Books are a source of knowledge, have great life lessons, and teach us about history, culture, hardships, love, different places, and how to use our imaginations.
Where would our world be without this marvelous invention?
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