How were books made in Medieval times?

Books were written by hand, of course. In the early Middle Ages (say 500 to 1100 of the Common Era), in most parts of Europe, probably a majority of books were written by monastics, monks and nuns. read more

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Before the invention of print, books were written by hand and made at the request of a reader. Because each book was unique, they can tell us about how people consumed knowledge and interacted with it. read more

The Making of a Medieval Book explores the materials and techniques used to create the lavishly illuminated manuscripts produced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The images in these handwritten texts are called illuminations because of the radiant glow created by the gold, silver, and other colors. read more

Fats and dirt were scraped out of the inside of the nib, then the scribe made a thin slit in the tip. Medieval ink had to be thick to hold to the quill, and the tip had to be re-cut over 50 times a day to enable constant writing, making working with them almost as frustrating as Windows 8. read more