jan 1, 105 - Paper

Description:

The first paper was invented in China and was made of mulberry leaves. Much like papyrus, paper was an inexpensive material that allowed for greater production of books (Sington, 2020). Paper did not catch on outside of East Asia until centuries after its invention, but following developments such as laid paper, wove paper, and modern wood pulp paper, it is now overwhelmingly the most common medium for printed materials (Galbraith, 2020).

About the image: This image is of a page from a Chinese manuscript of an encyclopedia of plants and medicinal herbs (全芳備祖 : 前集二十七卷, 後集三十一卷) from 1256 CE. The manuscript is written on paper (Library of Congress).

SOURCES
Galbraith, S. K. (2020). A Brief History of the Book: From Tablet to Tablet. Libraries Unlimited.
Sington, D. (Director). (2020). A to Z: How Writing Changed the World [Video/DVD]. In NOVA. Public Broadcasting Service. https://video-alexanderstreet-com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/watch/hour-2?utm_campaign=Video&utm_medium=MARC&utm_source=aspresolver

IMAGE
Chen, J. (1256 CE). Botanical encyclopedia of all flowers and plants (Chinese Rare Book Collection). Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/lcnclscd.2012402251.1A001/?sp=37&r=0.029,0.211,0.981,0.615,0.

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