What Is The History Of Bookbinding?

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Binding is the method wherein printed sheets are put together to form books, magazines, catalogs, folders, directories, or product packaging. Binding can be a very valuable resource while creating a presentation or generally organizing some important documents. This is a good way to ensure that the documents are not assembled in a haphazard manner and can be located easily as and when required.

The craft of bookbinding may have originated around the 1st century A.D. Romans of that time created a form of simple book called a codex by folding sheets of vellum or parchment in half and sewing them through the fold. Codices were a significant improvement over papyrus or vellum scrolls, in that they were easier to handle, allowed writing on both sides of the leaves, and could be searched through more quickly.

Later books were bound between hard covers, with pages made from paper, or parchment, but were still created by stitching folded sheets at the seam. Since early books were exclusively handwritten on handmade materials, sizes and styles varied considerably, and each book was a unique creation or a copy of it.

With the arrival of rag paper manufacturing from the East in the late Middle Ages and the use of the printing press beginning in the mid 15th century, bookbinding began to standardize somewhat. But page sizes still varied considerably. Some books were even bound in human skin.



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