An inquiry into the nature and form of the books of the ancients; with a history of the art of bookbinding, from the times of the Greeks and Romans to the present day; interspersed with bibliographical references to men and books of all ages and countries / By John Andrews Arnett [i.e. J. Hannett].

  • Hannett, John, 1803-1893.
Date:
1837
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inquiry into the nature and form of the books of the ancients; with a history of the art of bookbinding, from the times of the Greeks and Romans to the present day; interspersed with bibliographical references to men and books of all ages and countries / By John Andrews Arnett [i.e. J. Hannett]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    congregated together, it may be pronounced all but certain, that some degree of refinement, and a regard for learning, had been ai-rived at by the antediluvian ■world, particularly so when the general belief of the Mosaic account gives a period of 2000 years duration to the earth prior to the deluge. Of the mode adopted in the earliest times to transmit to after generations the records of the pre- ceding ones, an impenetrable darkness hangs around ; and in attempting any description, conjecture alone can be the foundation. And if this uncertainty as to the very existence of their records is the case, how much more difficult becomes the path by which we can draw any conclusion as to the material of which they were composed, or of the manner of preserving them. That the antediluvians did arrive at a con- siderable degree of proficiency in many of the arts, has been shown, and w^e may fairly conclude that some method had been invented, by which the thoughts and opinions of the learned might be com- municated in some more durable manner than oral testimony. But nothing exists to prove this to be so; we, therefore, are left to draw the inference, from what has been transmitted relative to later times, that a similar mode had been adopted, and progres- sion made, in periods anterior to them. Taking this as our guide, and allowing that there is much on the subject we must be content to remain ignorant of, it will be necessary to ascertain what has reached us relative to the materials on, and form in, which