Introduction to Book History

Introduction to the History of Books

• The history of books begins in England.
• Modern book history starts in the 1960s.
• Book production began in England.
• Henri-Jean Martin, Lucien Febvre, Richard Altick, Elisabeth Eisenstein, Robert Darnton, and Aleksandar Stipčević are significant figures in book history.
• Aleksandar Stipčević authored "The History of Books".
• David Šporer is the author of "Introduction to the History of Books".
• The three main segments of book history are the author, intermediaries, and the reader.
• Microanalytic approach focuses on detailed analysis like reader profiles based on private library catalogs etc. Its limitation is that sources may not reflect broader reading habits.
• Macroanalytic approach involves quantitative research over longer periods using bibliographies and book catalogs to find general patterns and reading. Its limitation is only book supply and popularity shows and not what was actually consumed.
• SHARP stands for The Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing.

Writing Surfaces, Writing Tools and Book Formats

• Calamus is a writing tool made from sharpened reed, used on papyrus, parchment, or paper.
• Stylus is a pointed metal or bone tool, rounded at one end, for writing on waxed or clay tablets.
• Ostrakon was writing material used by the poor.
• Papyrus was the most important writing surface of the ancient era.
• Papyrus scrolls survived in Herculaneum because of volcanic lava/ash.
• Palimpsests are parchments reused after the original text was erased or removed.
• Christians quickly adopted parchment because of its durability, practicality for making codices, and symbolic value.
• Paper production began in Europe in the 13th century.
• Kylindros originated in Greece, volumen from Rome, and rotulus from the Middle Ages.
• Papyrus, parchment, and later paper were used for longer writings.
• Lead was considered to have magical properties by ancient Egyptians.
• Military diplomas in ancient Rome were written on bronze.
• Waxed tablets were written on with a stylus.
• Kalamoteka is a pencil case.
• Sharp metal, ivory, or bone styluses used in ancient times called Stylus.
• Hieroglyphs never appear on clay tablets, and cuneiform was never used on papyrus.
• Ostrakon was the writing material used by poor Greeks.
• Inscribed ceramic fragments used by the Greeks were called Ostrakon.
• Papyrus was the most important writing surface of the ancient era.
• The oldest records on papyrus date back to the 4th century BC.
• Pliny the Elder described papyrus production in detail in "Naturalis Historia".
• Parchment came into broader use in the 4th or 3rd century BC.
• Palimpsest is a manuscript on parchment with the original text erased and overwritten.
• In ancient times, Christians did not prefer papyrus over parchment. Paper's homeland is China.
• Paper was invented in the 2nd century.
• Paper came to Europe via Arab intermediaries.
• Paper production began in Europe in the 13th century.
• Rotulus is the medieval name for a scroll.
• Kylindros is the Greek term for a scroll.
• Scrolls were phased out by the 5th century
• The codex appeared in the 1st century
• Upon the emergence of the codex, the scroll did not immediately fall out of use.

Writing Systems and Scripts of the Ancient Era

• Libraries of that time were both libraries and rich archives.
• Hammurabi's code was written on stone.
• Egyptians used three scripts: hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic.
• Demotic script was used for everyday affairs
• Toth is the Egyptian god of writing and wisdom, protector of Egyptian scribes.
• Cretans used Cretan hieroglyphs and Linear A script.
• People from Crete used two scripts: Cretan hieroglyphs and Linear A.
• Linear B, which originated in Mycenae and was based on Linear A, has been deciphered and served administrative purposes. Bustrofedon is a writing style alternating from right to left and left to right.
• Runes were used in Germany during the ancient era.
• The basic features of the development of writing involved division of labor, social hierarchy, governance, visualization of the immediate surroundings and simplification.
• Writing material significantly influenced the shaping of the script.
• Cuneiform was a universal script in the Middle East for more than two thousand years.
• The oldest script was ideogrammatic.
• Babylonians were often called graphomaniacs due to their inclination towards writing and books.
• Sumerians are considered to be the first literate people.
• Egyptians used 3 different scripts
• Demotic script was used in everyday life in Egypt.
• Egyptian scribes were highly valued members of society.
• Hieroglyphs have not been deciphered.
• Hittites wrote in cuneiform and Hittite hieroglyphs.
• The script in the Indus Valley was developed by the Dravidians.
• Egyptians attributed the discovery of writing to the god Toth.
• Cretan cuneiform script does not belong to the Minoan-Mycenaean culture.
• Linear B script has been deciphered.
• Greek alphabet was created based on the Phoenician script.
• Etruscans likely adopted their script from the Greeks.
• Bustrofedon describes ancient Greek writing that alternates left and right (plowing principle).
• Ogam was a Germanic script, and runes were not a Cretan script.
• The Etruscan language and script disappeared by the end of the old era due to the spread of Latin language and script.
• A fundamental feature of the development of writing in the first three thousand years is simplification.
• Egyptian scribes lost prestige after the emergence of the Latin alphabet.
• Writing developed for easier governance.
• Plato, the Greek thinker, criticized the use of writing.
• The Minoan-Mycenaean culture was the first literate culture on European soil.
• The library in Ebla dates back to the 3rd millennium BC.
• The oldest discovered and researched library of the Ancient Near East was the library in Ebla.

Libraries of the Ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman World

• Hittites used cuneiform and Hittite hieroglyphs.
• The Library of Ulpia was the most famous library.
• The famous libraries in Egypt were located in Philae and Edfu.
• Public libraries existed in the 4th century BC.
• The Library of Alexandria was founded in the 3rd century BC by Ptolemy I Soter.
• The most important Hellenistic libraries were the Library of Alexandria and the Library of Pergamum.
• Roman libraries had halls for reading, divided into Greek and Roman collections, often part of villas or social gathering places.
• Papyrus was made by cutting the inside of papyrus stalks into thin strips, laying them horizontally and vertically in two layers, then gluing them with water, pressing them, drying them in the sun, and polishing them to obtain a smooth writing surface.
• The oldest discovered and researched library of the Ancient Near East is the Library in Elba.
• The library in Elba dates from the 3rd millennium BC.
• The library of Ashurbanipal was in Nineveh.
• The oldest library catalog was found in Nippur.
• Librarians were called "keepers of inscribed tablets", dating back to the 3rd century BC.
• The first public libraries in Greece were founded in Athens in agora.
• Greek libraries emerged around the 4th-3rd century BC and Roman libraries after conquering Greece in 146 BC.
• The first public library in Athens was established in the 4th century BC.
• The Library of Alexandria held half a million scrolls.
• The Library of Pergamum was established after Alexandria.

The Library of Alexandria

• Founded in the 3rd century BC by Ptolemy I Soter who is considered its founder.
• Alexandria Library existed for 2-3 centuries.
• The Library of Alexandria was estimated to contain over half a million papyrus scrolls.
• Alexander the Great was a student of Aristotle, who was a student of Plato, and Plato was a student of Socrates.
• Alexander the Great dreamed of Homer, who showed him the ideal location for the city which was interpreted as divine guidance to found Alexandria.
• Books for the library were acquired through purchase, transcription, redemption, and theft.
• The library thrived when it attracted many scholars and scientists during the reign of Ptolemy II.
• The death of Cleopatra in 30 BC did not mark the end of the library.

Medieval World

• Dominicans viewed the written word as a weapon against heresy - the first to mandate education and establish schools and libraries.
• Franciscans initially rejected owning property and books, but after the death of Francis of Assisi, they began establishing libraries.
• Titivillus was a mythical demon blamed for errors in book copying.
• Librarians/Scribes performed ordinary writing tasks.
• Antiquarians were skilled scribes who created valuable manuscripts.
• Illuminators/Miniaturists artistically decorated manuscripts.
• Rubricatores added titles and initials in red ink
• Bibliopeges bound books.
• The oldest book preserved on Croatian soil is the Split Gospel.
• The Missal according to the Roman Curia/Law took letters from the Missal of Prince Novak.
• Literacy and book culture of the early Middle Ages were preserved due to Dominicans.
• Parchments with scraped-off texts of ancient writers were called Pamlimpsests.
• Interest in writing revived in the 8th century.
• Dominicans foresaw the importance of schools and libraries.
• The Franciscans did not have a positive attitude towards books from the beginning.
• Many ancient works were lost upon arrival, book culture prevailed
• Benedictines were the main bearers of literacy in the early Middle Ages.
• The first universities were founded in the 12th century.
• Monasteries lost significance in the 12th century.
• It was believed books possessed magical and healing properties in the early Middle Ages.
• The Split Gospel is written in Latin and dates from the 5th or 6th century.
• Hrvoje's Missal is the most opulent illuminated manuscript.
• The Missal of Prince Novak is written in Glagolitic script.
• Tripartite nature and trilingualism is unique in Europe.

Medieval and Other Libraries

• The first reference collections and university libraries appeared in the 13th century.
• There were no user spaces or special rooms up to the 9th century
• Libraries in Roman times were organized into public and private collections, with Greek and Latin books.
• In the 16th century, Francis I mandated that all printed copies be submitted to the royal library to establish censorship.
• Royal (court) libraries existed in 16th century France.
• Library philosophy became more user-oriented.
• The first lending libraries appeared in the early 17th century.
• Most ancient libraries did not survive the fall of empires.
• The number of books in monastic libraries was generally modest.
• Monastic spaces for reading and storing books emerged from the 9th century onward.
• The first reference collections of medieval libraries appeared in the 13th century.
• The books were arranged horizontally on shelves until the first half of the 16th century.
• The new library philosophy of the modern era is called user orientation
• Chained books in libraries were no longer used in the Baroque period.
• Richard of Bury was the originator of the idea of public libraries.
• The idea of fully public libraries developed during humanism and the Renaissance
• The first public libraries emerged in the 15th century.
• Public libraries appeared in the 13th century.
• School libraries flourished in the 19th century
• Children's libraries appeared in the 19th century.
• The first lending book was founded in the 17th century.
• Libraries without books did not exist.