How and why your definition of ‘book’ has changed?
Investigating the history of the written word has expanded my knowledge of how text and the written word have evolved to what it is today. Predecessors of the contemporary book came in a range of materials and forms and across a variety of cultures. Surfaces such as stone, clay and wood were used in ancient cultures to preserve written records. Later, parchment, papyrus and paper provided smoother surfaces and therefore enabled more controlled and precise writing with a brush or a pen (Cornell University Library). These materials lent themselves well to constructing works in codex or book-like form and accommodated illustration as well as writing (Cornell University Library). The art of writing, scribing and calligraphy was highly-esteemed and indicated high status in societies such as in China, Japan and the Arab world (Cornell University Library).
The making of books was time-consuming, involved a high degree of craftsmanship and mainly used for private use by wealthy elites and scholars. The printing press with movable type transformed the written word through the capacity to produce multiple identical reproductions and also meant that text was typed rather than hand-written or inscribed (Cornell University Library). Printing meant that books were more durable and easier to manufacture, which lead to greater production, distribution and consumption of books. I can see how the technology to produce books on a large scale is pivotal to the development of libraries. Without the printing press, books and the knowledge contained in them could not have become mainstream and widely accessible which means we probably wouldn’t have public libraries. It must have also significantly impacted oral traditions of passing on knowledge and story-telling as seeking and gaining knowledge and information through books became the cultural norm; part of the everyday for ordinary citizens.
Pre-codex texts such as scrolls had their impracticalities such as the wear and tear that came from constantly being rolled/unrolled and difficulty aligning the lines and coloumns of text in individual sheets(Scroll and Codex). Gradually overtime the scroll was replaced by codex which was more durable and enabled longer texts to be contained within a single volume (Scroll and Codex).
Gaining knowledge of historical context of the book has enriched my definition and understanding of how books are steeped in political, social, cultural and economic histories and in turn have shaped and impacted societies and the forming of their dominant ideologies. Today we can see how books cut across cultures and subcultures and not only mould and shape the status quo but challenge and critique it. Books are potent forces in inspiring social movements and change just as they are in preserving power structures and maintaining dominant values.
Bibliography
Cornell University Library (n.d.). Paper, leather, clay and stone: The written word materialised. Retrieved 19 March 2020 from https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/Paper-exhibit/intro.html
Scroll and Codex. (n.d.) Retrieved 15 March 2020 from http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/scroll/scrollcodex.html