Fewer things have had a greater impact on my life than my love of a good book. My parents first learned this when, at the age of 3, I'd tricked them into thinking I'd learned how to read by memorizing, word for word, Green Eggs and Ham: page turns included. From that point forward, I was rarely seen without a book in hand: Even late at night, my parents would catch me hiding under my covers with a flashlight, stealing every precious moment I could before nighttime narco overtook me.Turns out, every book I learned to love can trace its physical lineage back to ancient Rome! While knowledge had formerly been disseminated through the use of clay tablets and paper scrolls, the Romans began making the codex: First a series of bound, wax tablets, then the wax was later replaced by dried animal parchment. Without these Roman renditions, my days would have been spent in ways much less conducive to pursuit of intellect, and I largely doubt I'd be where I am today!
I will gladly praise the Romans for this. Though my textbooks are not my favorite reading, I think the written word and the ability to retain a record is so important. even from a spiritual perspective, some things we have a written record of specifically so we can benefit in the future. Cool information, Jared!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to think about how the written word has impacted society. I wonder if, by the development of new binding techniques, the books were more accessible to the general public or more rare because of increased costs.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Romans! I have not ever considered how timeless the invention of the book is. Of course materials and printing methods have changed a little, but the book has stood the surf of millennia without much variance to the original object. Many of us thought the paper book would become obsolete four years ago with the invention of the Kindle, but sales are showing that the book is not going anywhere.
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