Scrolls, Books, and Manuscripts
Scrolls are rolled-up paper, parchment, or other writing material used by many early civilizations until the early Middle Ages (late 5th c -10th c).
The oldest surviving scroll is the Dead Sea Scrolls (3rd c BCE -1st c CE).
The codex (individual pages bound together) was developed by the Romans.
Perhaps the best-known codex or form of manuscript is that of Leonardo da Vinci.
His largest (1,119 sheets), the "Codes Atlanticus" or "Atlantic Codex" drawings and writings, consist of twelve (12) bound volumes (1478-1518).
The earliest known printed book is from China 868 AD "The Diamond Sutra", a woodblock printing of Buddhist text.
Believed by some to be the first printed book, The Gutenberg Bible is the first book to be commercially produced in the West, by Johannes Gutenberg, Mainz, Germany.
The first prayer book is the "Book of Common Prayer" (1549), the first prayer book in English for daily and Sunday worship in Anglican and related Christian churches in England.
The earliest surviving encyclopedia "Naturalist Historia" by Pliny the Elder (Roman statesman), published 77-79 AD, consisting of 37 chapters. Pliny the Elder died in the Vesuvius eruption in 79AD.
Vellum, a writing material, is a prepared animal skin or membrane (usually from a calf). Today, vellum is made from cotton or similar fiber.
The most popular book of the Middle Ages is the illuminated "Book of Hours" 1270 from northeast France. Written in Latin ( the language of the church) and French, these prayers were meant to be read at set hours.
This Gothic illuminated manuscript of tempera and gold on vellum was the book of prayer for wealthy, educated females.
Charlotte Bronte (1816 -1855) created handmade, written, and illustrated miniature books. Her most famous book "Jane Eyre" (1847) was published in the mid-1800s and stands 4 inches tall. The book cover was made from paper scraps.
The world's oldest continuous operating library is Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Desert, Egypt.
The medical text "On the Mixtures and Powers of Simple Drugs" by Galen of Pergamon (d. 200AD) was a Greco Roman physician and philosopher. An undertext of hymns was found beneath the medical text, an ancient form of recycling.
The "Book of Kells" (800AD) is in illuminated manuscript of four (4) gospels of the Christian New Testament. It can be viewed at the Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
The oldest surviving scroll is the Dead Sea Scrolls (3rd c BCE -1st c CE).
The codex (individual pages bound together) was developed by the Romans.
Perhaps the best-known codex or form of manuscript is that of Leonardo da Vinci.
His largest (1,119 sheets), the "Codes Atlanticus" or "Atlantic Codex" drawings and writings, consist of twelve (12) bound volumes (1478-1518).
The earliest known printed book is from China 868 AD "The Diamond Sutra", a woodblock printing of Buddhist text.
Believed by some to be the first printed book, The Gutenberg Bible is the first book to be commercially produced in the West, by Johannes Gutenberg, Mainz, Germany.
The first prayer book is the "Book of Common Prayer" (1549), the first prayer book in English for daily and Sunday worship in Anglican and related Christian churches in England.
The earliest surviving encyclopedia "Naturalist Historia" by Pliny the Elder (Roman statesman), published 77-79 AD, consisting of 37 chapters. Pliny the Elder died in the Vesuvius eruption in 79AD.
Vellum, a writing material, is a prepared animal skin or membrane (usually from a calf). Today, vellum is made from cotton or similar fiber.
The most popular book of the Middle Ages is the illuminated "Book of Hours" 1270 from northeast France. Written in Latin ( the language of the church) and French, these prayers were meant to be read at set hours.
This Gothic illuminated manuscript of tempera and gold on vellum was the book of prayer for wealthy, educated females.
Charlotte Bronte (1816 -1855) created handmade, written, and illustrated miniature books. Her most famous book "Jane Eyre" (1847) was published in the mid-1800s and stands 4 inches tall. The book cover was made from paper scraps.
The world's oldest continuous operating library is Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Desert, Egypt.
The medical text "On the Mixtures and Powers of Simple Drugs" by Galen of Pergamon (d. 200AD) was a Greco Roman physician and philosopher. An undertext of hymns was found beneath the medical text, an ancient form of recycling.
The "Book of Kells" (800AD) is in illuminated manuscript of four (4) gospels of the Christian New Testament. It can be viewed at the Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
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