The Evolution of the Book

The Evolution of the Book The book as we know it today had to undergo quite a few changes over time before it became as convenient, affordable and accessible as it is today. Evolving over thousands of years from clay tablets, to scrolls, to bound manuscripts, the book has eventually become what it is today. Books continue to expand their reach with the onset of technology, and now e-books and audiobooks are readily available for the modern reader as well as the more traditional page-turning format. Follow this timeline to trace the fascinating evolution of the book. kindle The History of the Book circa 3500 В.С. Sumerian clay tablets and the origin of writing. Around this time, an ancient people in southern Mesopotamia called the Sumerians used a cuneiform alphabet, in which symbols were pressed into clay with a triangular stylus (writing utensil). These clay tablets were dried and/or fired to make them last. Some people consider them to be the earliest form of the book. While cuneiform was used by later civilizations, the Sumerians are believed to be the first to have used it. 2400 B.C. Papyrus scrolls. This is the date of the earliest surviving papyrus scroll with writing on it. Papyrus scrolls were made out of a grass-like, aquatic plant grown in the Nile delta region of Egypt. Parts of the plant were cut into thin strips, pressed together and dried to form a writing surface the ancient Egyptians used for paper. Papyrus was the foremost writing material in ancient Egypt, and was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans. These an- cient civilizations used papyrus to make books and other written records in roll or scroll form. It was used all the way up to about the 8th or 9th centuries A.D., when people gradually began finding cheaper ways to produce paper. 600 В.С. Writing system developed. Around this time, a general consensus among Mediterranean cultures slowly emerged, favoring left-to- right writing and reading. Before that, there was left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom and back-and-forth. The Hebrews and some others kept right-to-left writing, however. 200 В.С. The wax tablet codex marks the beginnings of books being bound at one end. Around this time, both Greeks and Romans used wax tablets, framed and backed with wood, for note taking, orders, letter writing and other temporary information. At times, two or more tablets were joined with thongs or cords, like a three- ringed binder, where previously single wax tablets had been used. The Latin name for this was "codex", from the word for wood; codex later came to mean a "sheaf of bound pages." The codex book became prevalent in Europe, superseding the formerly popular scroll around the 5th century A.D. 105 A.D. A Chinese eunuch named Cai Lun is credited with inventing papermaking, using bark, hemp, old rags and used fish nets. The process was improved and spread to the rest of the world. 400-600 A.D. Advent of illustrated, handwritten manuscripts. The earliest illuminated manuscripts were written on parchment (made of calf, sheep or goat skin), which by this time was replacing papy- rus. These handwritten books were decorated with gold or silver, striking colors and detailed designs. Muslim countries also illus- trated their manuscripts, but the process became highly- developed in Europe. This method of transcribing books prevailed until the invention of movable type. 868 A.D. The first book is printed on paper in China. The Chinese used a block of wood that had characters carved in reverse relief. Ink was placed on the woodblock to create multiple copies on paper or parchment. 1041 A.D. The Chinese invent movable type, but it proved unsuccessful because of the numerous characters in the Chinese language. European movable type, invented much later, was successful due to the limited characters in the languages. 1250 A.D. The first record of block printing in Egypt. 1440 A.D. German inventor Johann Gutenberg completes his work on the first printing press, the key to the spread of the printed word in books. circa 1455 А.D. The printing of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, considered to be his foremost work. 1490 A.D. Printing books on paper becomes more widespread in Europe. 1500 A.D. In England, middle class literacy grows. By now, about 35,000 books have been printed, with about 10 million copies made. 1501 A.D. Aldo Manuzio designs a smaller and less expensive book to replace the large codex. This is the precursor to the modern paperback. 1639-1640 A.D. Puritans ship a printing press to the American colonies and print America's first book, the Bay Psalm Book, in Cambridge, Mass. 1774 A.D. Chlorine is discovered and will eventually bleach the paper used in books, the pages of which are moving more toward their modern appearance. 1791 A.D. Congress passes the First Amendment, allowing freedom of the press in the U.S. 1832 A.D. Books begin to be wrapped in paper jackets. 1860 A.D. "Dime novels" are hot sellers and are printed on cheap, coarse paper. 1875 A.D. The U.S. has 257 public libraries where people can access books. Cheap book reprints are published in series and called "libraries." 1929 A.D. The Charles Boni Paper Books, a mail-order book club in the U.S., offers paper covers, influencing the start of book clubs and furthering paperback novels. 1933 А.D. Nazis begin book burning. 1939 A.D. Pocket Books enters paperback market, kicking off the first mass distribution system for books in 1941. 1958 A.D. The first microchip is invented, kicking off the computer revolution and much later allowing for the technological advancement of the book. 1986 A.D. An encyclopedia, the American, which was traditionally in book form, is put on CD-ROM. This trend continues, and in 1990, the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, is available in book form or CD-ROM. 1991 A.D. The Internet is made available for commercial use. Also, HTML code is written, allowing for the creation of the World Wide Web. The advent of the Internet also contributed to the technological advancement of the book, creating many of its modern uses. 1995 A.D. Books begin to be sold very successfully online. 1998 A.D. In the U.S. alone, 70,000 book titles are available and there are 50,000 publishers. 2001-2006 A.D. The onset of e-books (short for electronic books), which are USually handheld, book-sized electronic units. Public interest in e-books starts out slow, but grows as technology and display of the text improves. 2003 A.D. Online retailer Amazon.com scans texts of 120,000 books for Internet users as the demand for online books increases. 2006 A.D. The emergence of the Japanese-based cell phone novel via text message. 2007 A.D. The birth of Amazon Kindle, an automated reading device and a platform for displaying e-books or other text for a user to read. 2008 A.D. "BookSnap technology allows for the quick scanning of books so that they can be made more quickly available in digital PDF format. This technology could pave the way for the complete transfer of all books to a digital format, which so far has proven to be cumbersome." Presented By: Best Colleges Online The Evolution of the Book The book as we know it today had to undergo quite a few changes over time before it became as convenient, affordable and accessible as it is today. Evolving over thousands of years from clay tablets, to scrolls, to bound manuscripts, the book has eventually become what it is today. Books continue to expand their reach with the onset of technology, and now e-books and audiobooks are readily available for the modern reader as well as the more traditional page-turning format. Follow this timeline to trace the fascinating evolution of the book. kindle The History of the Book circa 3500 В.С. Sumerian clay tablets and the origin of writing. Around this time, an ancient people in southern Mesopotamia called the Sumerians used a cuneiform alphabet, in which symbols were pressed into clay with a triangular stylus (writing utensil). These clay tablets were dried and/or fired to make them last. Some people consider them to be the earliest form of the book. While cuneiform was used by later civilizations, the Sumerians are believed to be the first to have used it. 2400 B.C. Papyrus scrolls. This is the date of the earliest surviving papyrus scroll with writing on it. Papyrus scrolls were made out of a grass-like, aquatic plant grown in the Nile delta region of Egypt. Parts of the plant were cut into thin strips, pressed together and dried to form a writing surface the ancient Egyptians used for paper. Papyrus was the foremost writing material in ancient Egypt, and was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans. These an- cient civilizations used papyrus to make books and other written records in roll or scroll form. It was used all the way up to about the 8th or 9th centuries A.D., when people gradually began finding cheaper ways to produce paper. 600 В.С. Writing system developed. Around this time, a general consensus among Mediterranean cultures slowly emerged, favoring left-to- right writing and reading. Before that, there was left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom and back-and-forth. The Hebrews and some others kept right-to-left writing, however. 200 В.С. The wax tablet codex marks the beginnings of books being bound at one end. Around this time, both Greeks and Romans used wax tablets, framed and backed with wood, for note taking, orders, letter writing and other temporary information. At times, two or more tablets were joined with thongs or cords, like a three- ringed binder, where previously single wax tablets had been used. The Latin name for this was "codex", from the word for wood; codex later came to mean a "sheaf of bound pages." The codex book became prevalent in Europe, superseding the formerly popular scroll around the 5th century A.D. 105 A.D. A Chinese eunuch named Cai Lun is credited with inventing papermaking, using bark, hemp, old rags and used fish nets. The process was improved and spread to the rest of the world. 400-600 A.D. Advent of illustrated, handwritten manuscripts. The earliest illuminated manuscripts were written on parchment (made of calf, sheep or goat skin), which by this time was replacing papy- rus. These handwritten books were decorated with gold or silver, striking colors and detailed designs. Muslim countries also illus- trated their manuscripts, but the process became highly- developed in Europe. This method of transcribing books prevailed until the invention of movable type. 868 A.D. The first book is printed on paper in China. The Chinese used a block of wood that had characters carved in reverse relief. Ink was placed on the woodblock to create multiple copies on paper or parchment. 1041 A.D. The Chinese invent movable type, but it proved unsuccessful because of the numerous characters in the Chinese language. European movable type, invented much later, was successful due to the limited characters in the languages. 1250 A.D. The first record of block printing in Egypt. 1440 A.D. German inventor Johann Gutenberg completes his work on the first printing press, the key to the spread of the printed word in books. circa 1455 А.D. The printing of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, considered to be his foremost work. 1490 A.D. Printing books on paper becomes more widespread in Europe. 1500 A.D. In England, middle class literacy grows. By now, about 35,000 books have been printed, with about 10 million copies made. 1501 A.D. Aldo Manuzio designs a smaller and less expensive book to replace the large codex. This is the precursor to the modern paperback. 1639-1640 A.D. Puritans ship a printing press to the American colonies and print America's first book, the Bay Psalm Book, in Cambridge, Mass. 1774 A.D. Chlorine is discovered and will eventually bleach the paper used in books, the pages of which are moving more toward their modern appearance. 1791 A.D. Congress passes the First Amendment, allowing freedom of the press in the U.S. 1832 A.D. Books begin to be wrapped in paper jackets. 1860 A.D. "Dime novels" are hot sellers and are printed on cheap, coarse paper. 1875 A.D. The U.S. has 257 public libraries where people can access books. Cheap book reprints are published in series and called "libraries." 1929 A.D. The Charles Boni Paper Books, a mail-order book club in the U.S., offers paper covers, influencing the start of book clubs and furthering paperback novels. 1933 А.D. Nazis begin book burning. 1939 A.D. Pocket Books enters paperback market, kicking off the first mass distribution system for books in 1941. 1958 A.D. The first microchip is invented, kicking off the computer revolution and much later allowing for the technological advancement of the book. 1986 A.D. An encyclopedia, the American, which was traditionally in book form, is put on CD-ROM. This trend continues, and in 1990, the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, is available in book form or CD-ROM. 1991 A.D. The Internet is made available for commercial use. Also, HTML code is written, allowing for the creation of the World Wide Web. The advent of the Internet also contributed to the technological advancement of the book, creating many of its modern uses. 1995 A.D. Books begin to be sold very successfully online. 1998 A.D. In the U.S. alone, 70,000 book titles are available and there are 50,000 publishers. 2001-2006 A.D. The onset of e-books (short for electronic books), which are USually handheld, book-sized electronic units. Public interest in e-books starts out slow, but grows as technology and display of the text improves. 2003 A.D. Online retailer Amazon.com scans texts of 120,000 books for Internet users as the demand for online books increases. 2006 A.D. The emergence of the Japanese-based cell phone novel via text message. 2007 A.D. The birth of Amazon Kindle, an automated reading device and a platform for displaying e-books or other text for a user to read. 2008 A.D. "BookSnap technology allows for the quick scanning of books so that they can be made more quickly available in digital PDF format. This technology could pave the way for the complete transfer of all books to a digital format, which so far has proven to be cumbersome." Presented By: Best Colleges Online The Evolution of the Book The book as we know it today had to undergo quite a few changes over time before it became as convenient, affordable and accessible as it is today. Evolving over thousands of years from clay tablets, to scrolls, to bound manuscripts, the book has eventually become what it is today. Books continue to expand their reach with the onset of technology, and now e-books and audiobooks are readily available for the modern reader as well as the more traditional page-turning format. Follow this timeline to trace the fascinating evolution of the book. kindle The History of the Book circa 3500 В.С. Sumerian clay tablets and the origin of writing. Around this time, an ancient people in southern Mesopotamia called the Sumerians used a cuneiform alphabet, in which symbols were pressed into clay with a triangular stylus (writing utensil). These clay tablets were dried and/or fired to make them last. Some people consider them to be the earliest form of the book. While cuneiform was used by later civilizations, the Sumerians are believed to be the first to have used it. 2400 B.C. Papyrus scrolls. This is the date of the earliest surviving papyrus scroll with writing on it. Papyrus scrolls were made out of a grass-like, aquatic plant grown in the Nile delta region of Egypt. Parts of the plant were cut into thin strips, pressed together and dried to form a writing surface the ancient Egyptians used for paper. Papyrus was the foremost writing material in ancient Egypt, and was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans. These an- cient civilizations used papyrus to make books and other written records in roll or scroll form. It was used all the way up to about the 8th or 9th centuries A.D., when people gradually began finding cheaper ways to produce paper. 600 В.С. Writing system developed. Around this time, a general consensus among Mediterranean cultures slowly emerged, favoring left-to- right writing and reading. Before that, there was left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom and back-and-forth. The Hebrews and some others kept right-to-left writing, however. 200 В.С. The wax tablet codex marks the beginnings of books being bound at one end. Around this time, both Greeks and Romans used wax tablets, framed and backed with wood, for note taking, orders, letter writing and other temporary information. At times, two or more tablets were joined with thongs or cords, like a three- ringed binder, where previously single wax tablets had been used. The Latin name for this was "codex", from the word for wood; codex later came to mean a "sheaf of bound pages." The codex book became prevalent in Europe, superseding the formerly popular scroll around the 5th century A.D. 105 A.D. A Chinese eunuch named Cai Lun is credited with inventing papermaking, using bark, hemp, old rags and used fish nets. The process was improved and spread to the rest of the world. 400-600 A.D. Advent of illustrated, handwritten manuscripts. The earliest illuminated manuscripts were written on parchment (made of calf, sheep or goat skin), which by this time was replacing papy- rus. These handwritten books were decorated with gold or silver, striking colors and detailed designs. Muslim countries also illus- trated their manuscripts, but the process became highly- developed in Europe. This method of transcribing books prevailed until the invention of movable type. 868 A.D. The first book is printed on paper in China. The Chinese used a block of wood that had characters carved in reverse relief. Ink was placed on the woodblock to create multiple copies on paper or parchment. 1041 A.D. The Chinese invent movable type, but it proved unsuccessful because of the numerous characters in the Chinese language. European movable type, invented much later, was successful due to the limited characters in the languages. 1250 A.D. The first record of block printing in Egypt. 1440 A.D. German inventor Johann Gutenberg completes his work on the first printing press, the key to the spread of the printed word in books. circa 1455 А.D. The printing of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, considered to be his foremost work. 1490 A.D. Printing books on paper becomes more widespread in Europe. 1500 A.D. In England, middle class literacy grows. By now, about 35,000 books have been printed, with about 10 million copies made. 1501 A.D. Aldo Manuzio designs a smaller and less expensive book to replace the large codex. This is the precursor to the modern paperback. 1639-1640 A.D. Puritans ship a printing press to the American colonies and print America's first book, the Bay Psalm Book, in Cambridge, Mass. 1774 A.D. Chlorine is discovered and will eventually bleach the paper used in books, the pages of which are moving more toward their modern appearance. 1791 A.D. Congress passes the First Amendment, allowing freedom of the press in the U.S. 1832 A.D. Books begin to be wrapped in paper jackets. 1860 A.D. "Dime novels" are hot sellers and are printed on cheap, coarse paper. 1875 A.D. The U.S. has 257 public libraries where people can access books. Cheap book reprints are published in series and called "libraries." 1929 A.D. The Charles Boni Paper Books, a mail-order book club in the U.S., offers paper covers, influencing the start of book clubs and furthering paperback novels. 1933 А.D. Nazis begin book burning. 1939 A.D. Pocket Books enters paperback market, kicking off the first mass distribution system for books in 1941. 1958 A.D. The first microchip is invented, kicking off the computer revolution and much later allowing for the technological advancement of the book. 1986 A.D. An encyclopedia, the American, which was traditionally in book form, is put on CD-ROM. This trend continues, and in 1990, the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, is available in book form or CD-ROM. 1991 A.D. The Internet is made available for commercial use. Also, HTML code is written, allowing for the creation of the World Wide Web. The advent of the Internet also contributed to the technological advancement of the book, creating many of its modern uses. 1995 A.D. Books begin to be sold very successfully online. 1998 A.D. In the U.S. alone, 70,000 book titles are available and there are 50,000 publishers. 2001-2006 A.D. The onset of e-books (short for electronic books), which are USually handheld, book-sized electronic units. Public interest in e-books starts out slow, but grows as technology and display of the text improves. 2003 A.D. Online retailer Amazon.com scans texts of 120,000 books for Internet users as the demand for online books increases. 2006 A.D. The emergence of the Japanese-based cell phone novel via text message. 2007 A.D. The birth of Amazon Kindle, an automated reading device and a platform for displaying e-books or other text for a user to read. 2008 A.D. "BookSnap technology allows for the quick scanning of books so that they can be made more quickly available in digital PDF format. This technology could pave the way for the complete transfer of all books to a digital format, which so far has proven to be cumbersome." Presented By: Best Colleges Online The Evolution of the Book The book as we know it today had to undergo quite a few changes over time before it became as convenient, affordable and accessible as it is today. Evolving over thousands of years from clay tablets, to scrolls, to bound manuscripts, the book has eventually become what it is today. Books continue to expand their reach with the onset of technology, and now e-books and audiobooks are readily available for the modern reader as well as the more traditional page-turning format. Follow this timeline to trace the fascinating evolution of the book. kindle The History of the Book circa 3500 В.С. Sumerian clay tablets and the origin of writing. Around this time, an ancient people in southern Mesopotamia called the Sumerians used a cuneiform alphabet, in which symbols were pressed into clay with a triangular stylus (writing utensil). These clay tablets were dried and/or fired to make them last. Some people consider them to be the earliest form of the book. While cuneiform was used by later civilizations, the Sumerians are believed to be the first to have used it. 2400 B.C. Papyrus scrolls. This is the date of the earliest surviving papyrus scroll with writing on it. Papyrus scrolls were made out of a grass-like, aquatic plant grown in the Nile delta region of Egypt. Parts of the plant were cut into thin strips, pressed together and dried to form a writing surface the ancient Egyptians used for paper. Papyrus was the foremost writing material in ancient Egypt, and was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans. These an- cient civilizations used papyrus to make books and other written records in roll or scroll form. It was used all the way up to about the 8th or 9th centuries A.D., when people gradually began finding cheaper ways to produce paper. 600 В.С. Writing system developed. Around this time, a general consensus among Mediterranean cultures slowly emerged, favoring left-to- right writing and reading. Before that, there was left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom and back-and-forth. The Hebrews and some others kept right-to-left writing, however. 200 В.С. The wax tablet codex marks the beginnings of books being bound at one end. Around this time, both Greeks and Romans used wax tablets, framed and backed with wood, for note taking, orders, letter writing and other temporary information. At times, two or more tablets were joined with thongs or cords, like a three- ringed binder, where previously single wax tablets had been used. The Latin name for this was "codex", from the word for wood; codex later came to mean a "sheaf of bound pages." The codex book became prevalent in Europe, superseding the formerly popular scroll around the 5th century A.D. 105 A.D. A Chinese eunuch named Cai Lun is credited with inventing papermaking, using bark, hemp, old rags and used fish nets. The process was improved and spread to the rest of the world. 400-600 A.D. Advent of illustrated, handwritten manuscripts. The earliest illuminated manuscripts were written on parchment (made of calf, sheep or goat skin), which by this time was replacing papy- rus. These handwritten books were decorated with gold or silver, striking colors and detailed designs. Muslim countries also illus- trated their manuscripts, but the process became highly- developed in Europe. This method of transcribing books prevailed until the invention of movable type. 868 A.D. The first book is printed on paper in China. The Chinese used a block of wood that had characters carved in reverse relief. Ink was placed on the woodblock to create multiple copies on paper or parchment. 1041 A.D. The Chinese invent movable type, but it proved unsuccessful because of the numerous characters in the Chinese language. European movable type, invented much later, was successful due to the limited characters in the languages. 1250 A.D. The first record of block printing in Egypt. 1440 A.D. German inventor Johann Gutenberg completes his work on the first printing press, the key to the spread of the printed word in books. circa 1455 А.D. The printing of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, considered to be his foremost work. 1490 A.D. Printing books on paper becomes more widespread in Europe. 1500 A.D. In England, middle class literacy grows. By now, about 35,000 books have been printed, with about 10 million copies made. 1501 A.D. Aldo Manuzio designs a smaller and less expensive book to replace the large codex. This is the precursor to the modern paperback. 1639-1640 A.D. Puritans ship a printing press to the American colonies and print America's first book, the Bay Psalm Book, in Cambridge, Mass. 1774 A.D. Chlorine is discovered and will eventually bleach the paper used in books, the pages of which are moving more toward their modern appearance. 1791 A.D. Congress passes the First Amendment, allowing freedom of the press in the U.S. 1832 A.D. Books begin to be wrapped in paper jackets. 1860 A.D. "Dime novels" are hot sellers and are printed on cheap, coarse paper. 1875 A.D. The U.S. has 257 public libraries where people can access books. Cheap book reprints are published in series and called "libraries." 1929 A.D. The Charles Boni Paper Books, a mail-order book club in the U.S., offers paper covers, influencing the start of book clubs and furthering paperback novels. 1933 А.D. Nazis begin book burning. 1939 A.D. Pocket Books enters paperback market, kicking off the first mass distribution system for books in 1941. 1958 A.D. The first microchip is invented, kicking off the computer revolution and much later allowing for the technological advancement of the book. 1986 A.D. An encyclopedia, the American, which was traditionally in book form, is put on CD-ROM. This trend continues, and in 1990, the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, is available in book form or CD-ROM. 1991 A.D. The Internet is made available for commercial use. Also, HTML code is written, allowing for the creation of the World Wide Web. The advent of the Internet also contributed to the technological advancement of the book, creating many of its modern uses. 1995 A.D. Books begin to be sold very successfully online. 1998 A.D. In the U.S. alone, 70,000 book titles are available and there are 50,000 publishers. 2001-2006 A.D. The onset of e-books (short for electronic books), which are USually handheld, book-sized electronic units. Public interest in e-books starts out slow, but grows as technology and display of the text improves. 2003 A.D. Online retailer Amazon.com scans texts of 120,000 books for Internet users as the demand for online books increases. 2006 A.D. The emergence of the Japanese-based cell phone novel via text message. 2007 A.D. The birth of Amazon Kindle, an automated reading device and a platform for displaying e-books or other text for a user to read. 2008 A.D. "BookSnap technology allows for the quick scanning of books so that they can be made more quickly available in digital PDF format. This technology could pave the way for the complete transfer of all books to a digital format, which so far has proven to be cumbersome." Presented By: Best Colleges Online The Evolution of the Book The book as we know it today had to undergo quite a few changes over time before it became as convenient, affordable and accessible as it is today. Evolving over thousands of years from clay tablets, to scrolls, to bound manuscripts, the book has eventually become what it is today. Books continue to expand their reach with the onset of technology, and now e-books and audiobooks are readily available for the modern reader as well as the more traditional page-turning format. Follow this timeline to trace the fascinating evolution of the book. kindle The History of the Book circa 3500 В.С. Sumerian clay tablets and the origin of writing. Around this time, an ancient people in southern Mesopotamia called the Sumerians used a cuneiform alphabet, in which symbols were pressed into clay with a triangular stylus (writing utensil). These clay tablets were dried and/or fired to make them last. Some people consider them to be the earliest form of the book. While cuneiform was used by later civilizations, the Sumerians are believed to be the first to have used it. 2400 B.C. Papyrus scrolls. This is the date of the earliest surviving papyrus scroll with writing on it. Papyrus scrolls were made out of a grass-like, aquatic plant grown in the Nile delta region of Egypt. Parts of the plant were cut into thin strips, pressed together and dried to form a writing surface the ancient Egyptians used for paper. Papyrus was the foremost writing material in ancient Egypt, and was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans. These an- cient civilizations used papyrus to make books and other written records in roll or scroll form. It was used all the way up to about the 8th or 9th centuries A.D., when people gradually began finding cheaper ways to produce paper. 600 В.С. Writing system developed. Around this time, a general consensus among Mediterranean cultures slowly emerged, favoring left-to- right writing and reading. Before that, there was left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom and back-and-forth. The Hebrews and some others kept right-to-left writing, however. 200 В.С. The wax tablet codex marks the beginnings of books being bound at one end. Around this time, both Greeks and Romans used wax tablets, framed and backed with wood, for note taking, orders, letter writing and other temporary information. At times, two or more tablets were joined with thongs or cords, like a three- ringed binder, where previously single wax tablets had been used. The Latin name for this was "codex", from the word for wood; codex later came to mean a "sheaf of bound pages." The codex book became prevalent in Europe, superseding the formerly popular scroll around the 5th century A.D. 105 A.D. A Chinese eunuch named Cai Lun is credited with inventing papermaking, using bark, hemp, old rags and used fish nets. The process was improved and spread to the rest of the world. 400-600 A.D. Advent of illustrated, handwritten manuscripts. The earliest illuminated manuscripts were written on parchment (made of calf, sheep or goat skin), which by this time was replacing papy- rus. These handwritten books were decorated with gold or silver, striking colors and detailed designs. Muslim countries also illus- trated their manuscripts, but the process became highly- developed in Europe. This method of transcribing books prevailed until the invention of movable type. 868 A.D. The first book is printed on paper in China. The Chinese used a block of wood that had characters carved in reverse relief. Ink was placed on the woodblock to create multiple copies on paper or parchment. 1041 A.D. The Chinese invent movable type, but it proved unsuccessful because of the numerous characters in the Chinese language. European movable type, invented much later, was successful due to the limited characters in the languages. 1250 A.D. The first record of block printing in Egypt. 1440 A.D. German inventor Johann Gutenberg completes his work on the first printing press, the key to the spread of the printed word in books. circa 1455 А.D. The printing of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, considered to be his foremost work. 1490 A.D. Printing books on paper becomes more widespread in Europe. 1500 A.D. In England, middle class literacy grows. By now, about 35,000 books have been printed, with about 10 million copies made. 1501 A.D. Aldo Manuzio designs a smaller and less expensive book to replace the large codex. This is the precursor to the modern paperback. 1639-1640 A.D. Puritans ship a printing press to the American colonies and print America's first book, the Bay Psalm Book, in Cambridge, Mass. 1774 A.D. Chlorine is discovered and will eventually bleach the paper used in books, the pages of which are moving more toward their modern appearance. 1791 A.D. Congress passes the First Amendment, allowing freedom of the press in the U.S. 1832 A.D. Books begin to be wrapped in paper jackets. 1860 A.D. "Dime novels" are hot sellers and are printed on cheap, coarse paper. 1875 A.D. The U.S. has 257 public libraries where people can access books. Cheap book reprints are published in series and called "libraries." 1929 A.D. The Charles Boni Paper Books, a mail-order book club in the U.S., offers paper covers, influencing the start of book clubs and furthering paperback novels. 1933 А.D. Nazis begin book burning. 1939 A.D. Pocket Books enters paperback market, kicking off the first mass distribution system for books in 1941. 1958 A.D. The first microchip is invented, kicking off the computer revolution and much later allowing for the technological advancement of the book. 1986 A.D. An encyclopedia, the American, which was traditionally in book form, is put on CD-ROM. This trend continues, and in 1990, the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, is available in book form or CD-ROM. 1991 A.D. The Internet is made available for commercial use. Also, HTML code is written, allowing for the creation of the World Wide Web. The advent of the Internet also contributed to the technological advancement of the book, creating many of its modern uses. 1995 A.D. Books begin to be sold very successfully online. 1998 A.D. In the U.S. alone, 70,000 book titles are available and there are 50,000 publishers. 2001-2006 A.D. The onset of e-books (short for electronic books), which are USually handheld, book-sized electronic units. Public interest in e-books starts out slow, but grows as technology and display of the text improves. 2003 A.D. Online retailer Amazon.com scans texts of 120,000 books for Internet users as the demand for online books increases. 2006 A.D. The emergence of the Japanese-based cell phone novel via text message. 2007 A.D. The birth of Amazon Kindle, an automated reading device and a platform for displaying e-books or other text for a user to read. 2008 A.D. "BookSnap technology allows for the quick scanning of books so that they can be made more quickly available in digital PDF format. This technology could pave the way for the complete transfer of all books to a digital format, which so far has proven to be cumbersome." Presented By: Best Colleges Online