Cassidy Maksy Reflection

Papermaking and the creation of books has a long and interesting history. There was once a time when people could not just pick up a piece of paper and a pen to write down their thoughts. Today we do not really think about where paper and books come from because they are everywhere and it is easy to overlook their origins. However, the development of these technologies are so important to the history of the world and they allow us to get information and knowledge from our past.

            Through the readings On Paper, Papermaking, and The Coming of the Book, one can learn a lot about how paper was created and transformed over time and how this developed the printing industry and book trade. One of the most essential aspects of papermaking is breaking down a fibrous material into a pulp that can be flattened and dried into a material on which to write. Hunter’s Papermaking gave a good explanation of several ancient writing substances that eventually led us to paper as we know it. For example, people once used stone, bricks, brass, bronze and lead as writing materials. Even wood was initially used but in a different way than it is now. Wood was written on in the form of a table book. While these were not substances used to break down and create sheets of paper, eventually leaves, bark, parchment and rice paper were utilized. It is incredible to think that people developed the knowledge to use the materials around them and create a papermaking process in order to record information and enhance their lives with its use.

            What is very interesting about the papermaking process is its development and global expansion. All of the readings noted that the Chinese were the initial creators of paper. They are credited with this at a time of A.D. 105. Because of this, much of the information and explanations come from the Chinese culture. From there it travelled to Japan, Asia and Persia, Egypt and Morocco, and eventually to Europe (Hunter). Each culture brought a different process and used different materials which shows just how diverse and unique the papermaking trade could be. Though they each had different processes, Basbanes explains that there are three fundamentals to the trade and these even still exist today. To create paper one must utilize clean, pure water, have cellulose fiber, and work the material through a screen mold (Basbanes). All of these are essential in creating paper. When looking at paper, one might not initially see anything special, but through the readings, it was interesting to see how truly significant and cultural this material is.

            One final note on the process of papermaking is in regards to the way the industry developed. Febvre explained a lot about this in The Coming of the Book.  Every industry develops over time and is often steered by supply and demand fluctuations. Papermaking was especially driven by the supply of raw materials. It appears that at one time the demand for paper was so much higher than the supply that some areas encountered shortages and monopolies in the industry. These shortages helped the development of paper because they forced people to look for new raw materials to utilize. This allowed for the uniqueness and interesting development that was explained in the readings. The papermaking industry in turn also had an effect on the book trade because you need the paper to make a book. Febvre notes that the success of both of these industries was dependent upon the other.

            Learning about the history of papermaking and the book trade certainly made altering the book a better experience. The book I chose was one that was part of a series I read for many years as a child: A Series of Unfortunate Events. I chose to alter the ninth book, The Carnivorous Carnival because it was one that I could still find at my house. Looking back, these books are a little strange and somewhat messed up in content because they tell the story of all of the unfortunate events that happen to three orphan children. The unfortunate and destructive content played well into the altering of my book because I was able to connect it to the art actions I took against the book. For example, the cover has lions roaring on it, so I chose to cut the edges of some parts of the book in a design that to me represents teeth. These cuts are relevant to the rough teeth of a lion.  Another connection I made was in one chapter they had a picture of lion’s claws ripping at the page. From this, I was able to use scissors and stab and slice through the pages of that chapter. There were several drawings in the book that I colored in to give the chapter book with mostly words a little more life. One final example of what I did was using a lighter to burn the edges of another chapter. The chapter picture displayed a torch that was going to burn down the carnival tent. I captured this part of the story through my burnt pages.

            This was a good activity to learn more about bookmaking in general. The art actions that I chose to utilize when altering my book were somewhat representative of the book itself. It taught me how to give the book more life and a new look. I did not destroy it completely but I simply changed aspects of it in relation to what the story was about. It was interesting to take small actions that overall give the book new features. To a book you can do nearly anything that you want and you can transform the materials that made it. The history of paper and books showed significant developments over time and by using an altering process, you can utilize your experience and your personality to further develop the book and the paper. It is an object that might have one sole purpose of reading and telling a story, but it can still be altered and given more meaning.