More than just pieces of paper, books provide a glimpse into another world. Over the years, books have progressed with technology to different platforms from scrolls to hand-held devices.
The book came from humble beginnings with stories written on stone, tree bark and even clay. It was Egypt who founded the alphabet nearly 5,000 years ago.
In ancient Egyptian times, papyrus became the standard material used for writing. This original paper was made from the papyrus plant, and then hammered into a thick, paper-like product. The scrolls were formed from papyrus sheets glued together. The first discovered evidence of reading material was of Neferirkare Kakai a king from the 5th Dynasty.
However, it was the Arabs who made progress in the book’s evolution process as they were the first to create paper books. The Arabs learned this process from the Chinese papermakers in the 8th century. Individuals would hand write on this material or use woodblock printing to produce reading products.
This was the standard until Johan’s Gutenberg invention of the movable type in 1439. The movable type revolutionized the printing industry by making books cheaper to print and widely available.
Presently, most books are printed by offset lithography. This is where a picture of the material is digitally or photographically transferred to a metal template.
While the paperback books are nowhere close to extinction, reading material is moving toward unique platforms allowing books to have a convenience like never before.
It was with the rise of the Internet, that digital books known as e-book (electronic books) have become popular. Although e-books are typically found on the Internet, these digital books can be found on CD-Roms as well. Portable digital books such as Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle have gained popularity recently as they provide a similar experience as reading a book.
Books are always in need and are growing with technology to meet today’s needs and demands.