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Wall Shelf in Delhi by Truwud

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Ashapurna
Wall Shelf in Delhi by Truwud

Bookcases are almost as old as books. Archeological remains from earliest times suggest that clay and stone tablets were kept in some arranged order by their authors or collectors. But it was the increasing number of Egyptian scrolls or papyrus rolls dating from the 4th Century BC that necessitated a special storage place.
The cylindrical shape of papyrus rolls made them easy to store on shelves. But the inconvenience of reading them--some were more than 100 feet long--led the Romans in the 1st Century to develop the square-shaped manuscript volume or codex. The codex, with its folded sheets, stitching, and binding, was the progenitor of the modern book( Wall Shelf in Delhi ). The expense of books and bookcases in these early times meant their use was limited mostly to religious authorities. Before the invention of the printing press in the 15th Century, transcribing and binding pages of manuscripts were done largely by monks. The volumes then went to jewelers and goldsmiths for ornamentation. Finished with heavy covers and metal mountings, such books were weighty, necessitating sturdy storage spaces that often rivaled them in decoration.


The development of the printing press spurred a domestic need for bookshelves( Wall Shelf in Delhi ). Two distinct types arose: shelves built into the walls of libraries of the wealthy, and the freestanding piece of furniture, which became widespread after 1700. French designer Charles Andre Boulle (1642-1732) often is credited with devising the low bookcase. It typically was about 4 feet high, 5 to 6 feet wide, with a marble top and doors fitted with wire lattice, behind which hung silk curtains. It is less clear who invented the tall, enclosed bookcase. An early reference, however, points to a carpenter who worked with English diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). “Comes Simpson the joiner,” wrote Pepys in his diary on July 23, 1666, “and he and I with great pains contriving presses to put my books up in: They are now growing numerous and lying one upon another on my chairs.” A century later, both short and tall bookcases were common. Often, they were ornately carved. For example, English cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale (1718-79) described 14 models in his “Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director” (1766).

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