Evolution of books

Originally, books were a record of an author's speech. As a result, books would be read aloud and understood verbally.

The first development in book technology was divisions. For the first time, the text was divided into paragraphs. Groups of paragraphs were given a chapter title. Also, books began to be numbered by chapter and verse.

A second development was changes in page layout. In the early Middle Ages, editors and scribes would write notes in the margins of a book. This practice was superceded by organizing the book into a dominant text and a smaller commentary.

A third development was changes in typography. To help distinguish important parts of the page, keywords were underlined with red lines. Primitive quotation marks were also used. Along side, references to the source of the quotation was given. Scribes also began to calculate letter size.

A fourth development was topic order. In the past, the commentator would follow the order of the text used. Authors began providing the "ordinatio" or order in which topics were discussed. Thus, the book had become a representation of a thought-through argument.

A fifth development was organization. Once authors began determining the order the book would go in, they developed a specific organization to each chapter. An introduction would state what question the chapter would discuss. A list of arguments would be placed in a numerical sequence. A rhetorical question would follow the arguments. An "auctoritas" or quote expressing doubt would follow the rhetorical question. Finally, the author would respond with a "responsio" to the objections.

Finally, a sixth development was reference works. Books began to be organized by alphabetization of topics and also the new table of contents. Entire collections of books were organized by indices, library inventories, and concordances.