However, have you ever wondered when and where the concept of books and reading emerged from? Today, on World Book Day, we bring you a brief history of books and reading.
the beginning
The history of the book begins with the development of writing and many other inventions such as paper and printing, and continues until the modern-day business of book printing. The oldest knowledge societies regarding the history of books predate what is today traditionally called “the Books” and begins with tablets, scrolls and sheets of papyrus.
‘First Books’
The first books were ancient scrolls, made as early as the 4th millennium BC/BC. But the first printed book in the form we now know, pages bound together, is the ‘Diamond Sutra’.
A copy of the Tang-dynasty Chinese version of the ‘Diamond Sutra’ was found in the Dunhuang Manuscripts in 1900 by the Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu and sold to Aurel Stein in 1907. They are dated back to 11 May 868. Words from the British Library, “the oldest dated printed book”.
Drawings on Handwritten Manuscripts (600-800 AD)
The manuscripts of this time were largely handwritten on parchment. Books began to be decorated with gold and silver during this period, with illustrations added, making them excellent additions to a wealthy person’s collection.
Movable Type (1000 – 1400 AD)
In China, the first movable type made of wood was invented around AD 1000. However, the complexity of Chinese characters and the soaking properties of the wood made it too laborious to use, so it did not take off.
Instead, in 1200 AD, the first metal movable type was invented in Korea during the Goryeo dynasty, which produced the first book printed with a metal movable type called ‘Jikji’ printed in 1377 AD.
Then, in 1439, Johannes Gutenberg, using his metalworking skills, designed a systematic and reliable printing press that allowed the mass production of books. The first mass-produced book was ‘The Gutenberg Bible’, printed in 1455 using a movable metal type.
First book in America (1600 AD)
When the Puritans arrived in the New World, within 20 years, a printing press was brought to them, and in 1640AD the first book ‘The Bay Psalm’ was printed in America.
This included the book of Psalms from the Bible. To date, only 11 copies of this book exist.
The advent of cheap paperbacks (1832 to 1860 AD)
Continuing reduction in the cost of printing and improvement in education among the masses paved the way for the first mass printed paperbacks. In the UK, the main market for these paperbacks was youth and working-class adults. One of the most popular series that appeared during this time was ‘Black Bass’ or ‘Night of the Road’, a series that ran for 254 episodes.
The Hardbacks (1900s)
At the turn of the 20th century, hard books increased in popularity. During this time, the Bonnie brothers founded the modern library, which soon evolved into Penguin Random House, one of the largest publishing houses today.
The Arrival of Computers (1970)
With the invention of the commercial microprocessor in the 1970s, it became easier to go through the process of editing and designing books. Eventually, it also paved the way for the digitization of books, beginning with The New Growlier Electronic Encyclopedia, the first book on CD, in the 1980s.
current format
The current format that we consider to be books, in which individual sheets are fastened together instead of a scroll, is called a codex. Then hand-tied, expensive and elaborate manuscripts appeared in codex form. This paved the way for press-printed editions and eventually led to the mass-printed editions prevalent today. Contemporary books may not even have any physical presence with the advent of e-books. With the advent of Braille and spoken books, the book became more accessible to the handicapped as well.