Before the invention of the printing press, books were written entirely by hand. Pens were made of reed or a quill from a large bird. They were broad at one end and thin at the other. The broad end was used for drawing downward or crosswise, while the fine edge was used for finer strokes, which resembled a hairline. A broad-nibbed pen would automatically shade letters.
Parchment and vellum
Before the printing press, books were written by hand on parchment and vellum, which are made from animal skins. During the Renaissance, parchment was made from calfskin, goatskin, or sheepskin, but there were also other skins used. One type was called uterine vellum, which was made from the skin of aborted calf fetuses.
When the printing press was invented in the fifteenth century, parchment and vellum were largely replaced with paper. However, they continued to be used for legal documents and by artists who preferred the look of vellum. While vellum is said to have lasted for more than a thousand years, the material is also susceptible to changes in humidity. Therefore, parchment books were often bound with sturdy wooden boards and clamped shut with leather straps or metal clasps.
Illuminated manuscripts
Illuminated manuscripts were books written by human hands that were decorated with precious metals, including gold and silver. These books were created in the Middle Ages and often included Christian scripture. They were produced in the churches and monasteries of Europe, and their creation signified a new age in textual literacy, material culture, and spiritual devotion. Illuminated manuscripts typically featured painted miniatures, marginal illustrations, and were usually produced by Christian monks.
Most illuminated manuscripts used lead or colored ink. The ink used was often from a quill pen made from a goose or swan. Some illuminators painted gold leaf over their drawings, or they used red clay or sap as a binder. The illuminators also folded parchment pages and stitched leather cords or laced wood boards.
Book of Psalms from the Bible
The Book of Psalms in the Bible is one of the longest books in the Bible and is a collection of songs and instruction to worship the Lord. According to Matthew West, these psalms are useful for Christians because they can help them understand their emotions. Caroline Madison is a freelance writer and musician with a passion for the written word. She enjoys writing short stories, painting pencil portraits and playing the piano.
The Book of Psalms is composed of poetic verses written in Hebrew. These poems use imagery, metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole to convey emotions. Although Bible scholars have debated how the Psalms are classified, they generally fall into one of three categories: praise and worship, historical, and prophetic. The Psalms were written during the period between B.C. 1440 and B.C. 586.
Egyptian books
It was thought that the Egyptian gods Thoth and Tehuti had invented writing. The picture characters, which were called hieroglyphs, were considered to be holy. In addition, certain religious texts were said to have special virtues when written in hieroglyphic script. It was also thought that Thoth-written books had great power and would benefit the dead.
Ancient Egyptian writing evolved over a four-thousand-year period. There were three main types: hieroglyphic writing (pictures of objects), hieratic writing (simple forms), and demotic writing (symbols).
The Bible
The Bible was written by hand hundreds of years ago. Medieval Benedictine monks spent hours making copies of the Bible by hand. They would add illustrations and illuminated lettering to passages. But they stopped doing this in 1455 when Gutenberg invented the printing press. Gutenberg printed the first Bible with moveable type in Germany.
During that time period, many types of literature were created. Some texts are poems, others are stories, legal codes, personal letters, and apocalyptic revelation. They were written by a variety of people, from farmers and fishermen to priests, aristocrats, and scholars.
Library card catalogs
In the early years of card catalogs, headings and bibliographic data were written on separate cards. The entries could be written by hand or typed, and the cards would slot behind the headings. One card was usually used as the main entry and included the bibliographic details of the book, and the other cards were references to different points within the catalog.
The name of the publisher is often included after the title. This information is often helpful for researchers who want to know the purpose of a book. In addition, card catalogs contain information such as the ISBN, publication date, and publishing house. Some card catalogs also print the Dewey Decimal Classification, a system that categorizes books and other works by subject, author, and publisher.
