Very early writings have been found on clay tablets, stone, bone, wood with a layer of wax, leather, various metals, potsherds, papyrus, and parchment. Papyrus and parchment were the most widely used.
Papyrus, a plant grown in Egypt, was one of the earliest forms of paper. We know this was being used for writing at least as early 2500 BC and probably much earlier.
Later manuscripts were hand written on vellum or parchment. Parchment was made from the skins of animals such as sheep and cows. Vellum is a special kind of parchment made from calf skins. It is different than leather by the way it is stretched while drying.
These early writings were done either on a roll of papyrus or parchment or were in the form of a codex. A codex was a very early type of book. It contained a number of "gatherings". A gathering was four sheets which are folded in half to make eight leaves or folios; that would be 16 pages.
The gatherings were sewn together and placed inside sturdy covers. Today, we occasionally see specialty books for such purposes as pressing leaves or for photos that are made somewhat like these early books.
Johann Gutenberg, a German from Mainz, invented movable printing in the 1450s. The printing press was one of the greatest inventions for changing mankind's ability to learn. For the first time, more than one copy of a book could be printed in a very short time. Before long, books were available to more people who had never been able to have them before.
Since that time, printing and paper has improved greatly and we have more books than we can ever hope to read. Books are still valuable and we need to know how to treat them well.
Let's make some bookmarks to take back to school with us. There are several styles you can use instead of folding down corners or laying the book down open.
Corner Markers
Very Easy
Supplies:
Old envelopes
Ruler
Markers
Scissors
Directions:
Use old white envelopes or pretty stationery ones, if available. Measure 2-3 inches from the corner and make a mark. Measure the same distance the other way from the corner and make a mark. Connect the two marks with a straight line. Cut on the line and you have a corner.
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