Research on the Form of Traditional Books Abroad

Research on the Form of Traditional Books Abroad

The development of foreign book forms has gone through a long history, just like the development of Chinese book forms. The form of books in the primitive period of foreign countries is generally similar to that of books in the primitive period of China, both of which are recorded using materials selected from nature. The Egyptians were the first to use papyrus to make papyrus paper and roll it into a scroll shape using wood and ivory sticks, similar to the scroll books in our country.

Around the 2nd century BC, books made of parchment paper began to appear. In fact, parchment paper is not only made of parchment paper, but also some made of calf leather. The surface of books is smooth and delicate, but due to its high price, its use is limited to copying legal codes and scriptures. The binding of sheepskin books is exquisite, with different formats. The layout design of the inner pages also has a fixed center and neat line spacing, and the text is written horizontally. And for the convenience of reading, large format books adopt a layout of two or more columns, and have also begun to use booklet binding, which is very close to the form of modern books.

At the end of the 14th century, publishing workshops specializing in design began to emerge, with the Limburg brothers in the Netherlands being the most advanced. They mainly published religious books, using manual copying, but had already inserted illustrations into the layout and creatively used initials for decoration. The earliest woodblock printed books in Europe were some religious books, which contained a large number of exquisite illustrations, even more than words. During the Renaissance, printing technology developed rapidly and books played an important role in spreading new ideas. In 1455, the 42 line Bible was published, which is known as a milestone in movable type printing; In 1486, "Pilgrimage to the Holy Land" was printed and published, making it the earliest travelogue in history.

In the 16th century, due to the rise and development of various art schools around the world, book design also rapidly developed, and books became the best medium for the dissemination of various styles and schools. For the convenience of reading, books have gradually shifted from large format to small format. Until the 18th century, books became an essential item in people's lives, and a reading craze began to emerge.

In the mid-19th century, printing and plate making technologies developed rapidly, but the industrialization process limited the development of design. People hoped to restore their design level through traditional handicrafts, which sparked the "Renaissance of Book Design" and quickly influenced book design in Europe and America.

Research on the Form of Traditional Books Abroad