Morning journal and courier., 1891-10-08
odd Books.
ouo noOkb.
[Erom the ST. Nicholas for Ocfni,er L

From the st. Nicholas for OctoberI
In some countries leaves of trees are
still used for books. In Ceylon the leaves
of the talipot, tree common on that is
land, are used for a similar purpose. The
talipot tree belongs to the palm family. 1t
grows to about hundred feet high, is
straight and has no real branches. When
very old the tree blossoms and dies after
ripening its fruit. The tree never blooms
but once. The leaves used for books are
cut by the natives before they spread open
and are of a pale brownish- yellow. a color
they retain for ages. The characters are
impressed upon the leaf and are rubbed
over with charcoal to make them show
more plainly The leaves are then strung
together between covers of board or of
some less common material
Early writers made use of linen or cot
ton fabrics, of skins, and even of scales of
fishes. for writing. For long period pa
pyrus was used, tho books being made in
rolls, being about one and a half feet wide
and sometimes fifty feet long. Papyrus
was flag, or bulrush, growing eight or
ten feet high, found in the marshes of
Egypt; from its inner pith the form of pa-
traordinary papyrus was discovered at
Memphis, supposed TO be more than three
thousand years old. II measured one hun
dred feet in length. 1t is ''funeral roll, Z"
and is preserved in the British museum.
Papysus sheets were neatly Joined, at
tached to a stick and rolled upon ii whence
we have our word volume from the
Latin volvere, to roll.) The titles were
/ written on tags attached to the sticks, or
4 gWNe had = - =. l. Il
rolls We're kept in round wooden boxes re-
sembling the old-fashioned bsndboxes, and
/ could easily be carried about
| When the literary jealousy of the Egyp-
tians caused them to stop the supply of
papyrus the King of Pergsmos, a city in
/ Asia Minor, introduced the use of sheep
skin in form called from the place of it's
invention, pergsmons, whence our word
parchment" is believed to be derived
Vellum, finer article made from calf
skin, was also used. Many of the books
done on vellum in the middle ages were
transcribed by monks, and often it took
years to complete single copy.
| Books consisting of two or three leaves
| of lead, thinly covered with wax, on
which they wrote with an iron pen or sty-
lus, the leaves being Joined by iron rings
or by ribbons, We're also used by the an
| clients.
| Books remained very scarce and expen-
siye until after the introduction of paper
made from linen, and the invention of
| printing.
| When the first libraries were established
in England, books were so rare aId valu-
able that they were usually attached to the
shelves by iron chains to prevent their be-
ing stolen.
fashion of expensive bindings pre-
vailed for long time, and great skill was
exhibited in bindings ornamented by en-
broidery and various styles of needlework,
as well as in bingings studded with pre-
cious stones. Queen Elizabeth used to
carry about with her, suspended by gold
en- chain, book called 1.-The Golden Man
ual of Prayer" bound in solid gold. On
one side was a representation of ''the
Judgment of Solomon" on the other the
brazen serpent with the wounded Israel
ties looking at it. In the jewel house of
the Tower of London is book bound in
gold and enamel, clasped with ruby; on
one side is a cross of diamonds with other
diamonds around it; on the other flower.
de-luce in diamonds and the arms of Eng.
land. The book is enriched with small ru.
bies and emeralds