The ancient Egyptians were the first to use signs to represent sounds. Mostly, these simple signs represented the first sound of the name. The Egyptians were also the first to use paper – thin strips of the papyrus reed soaked in water. These strips of papyrus could be easily rolled to form scrolls. And as a writing instrument, they used a reed pen dipped in ink. This form of writing (which was known as hieroglyphic) was to remain unchanged for almost three thousand years.
The Semitic people, who were in contact with the Egyptians, probably copied the Egyptian writing in its simplest form – using only signs which stood for sounds, and adding other signs of their own. This was the origin of the alphabet as we know it today.
In Phoenicia and Palestine, the alphabet was used for writing as early as 1400 B.C. This new form of writing was also adopted by the Greeks, who made good use of it to develop a literature of the imagination second to none.
The Roman alphabet, in which Latin is written, evolved separately from the Greek. The spread of the Roman Empire was accompanied by the spread of Roman culture – notably Roman law and the Latin language. Latin became the official language of the Empire. Books were plentiful. In fact, every town had a public library, and almost half the populace could read and write. While Greek was the preferred language of the eastern Mediterranean, the people in the Western half spoke Latin.
Books that were meant to last a long time were made from Parchment. Parchment was made from sheepskin because Papyrus became dry after constant usage. Even after the onset of the Dark Ages following the rise of Islam, the tradition of learning was not lost, but continued with the monks and monasteries. Public libraries were absent and the reading public was missing. However, knowledge was preserved in dusty parchments in half-forgotten libraries.
The books that were written were written with quill pens, accompanied with beautiful drawings made by hand. Books were read only by the educated section of the populace, while the poor peasantry had the books read to them orally. With the spread of trade, and better farming practices, life became easier and books were once more in demand.
Innovations were introduced in the book business. First, the outlines of pictures, and later entire pages began to be carved on wooden blocks to save time. Gutenberg introduced printing to Europe (though the Chinese deserve credit for the invention), and books became plentiful again – as one printing press could do the work of hundreds of human hands toiling away. After the printing press, the other necessary invention (in the nineteenth century) was the typewriter. Typewritten letters have two major advantages – the script is easy to read, and it saves time in the making of multiple copies.
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