Each of us knows very well what a book is. A small but dear to the heart thing, opening up a new world. Special connoisseurs of literature, book lovers who cannot live a day without reading, feel special love. In the world there is a whole classification of literary works. They differ in a number of features, but in general they have a single message - an information report to the reader. Let’s try to answer the question: “Book is what?”.
Information transfer
The history of the creation of the book goes far back in past centuries. Now we are used to seeing it in a beautiful cover, with a hardcover that allows us to maintain quality for many years. Design is an integral part of creating a book, because the buyer will pay no less attention to the visual image than to the content.
But, looking into the past, we can say that in a simple sense, a book is a transfer of information, a message addressed to another person. Hence the desire of primitive people to pass on the accumulated knowledge to the future generation. Then they had no opportunity for this. And yet, representatives of ancient civilization found a way out of the situation.
What was first?
If we turn to word formation, from the Pre-Slavic language, the “book” is folded, fastened sheets, which were replaced by scrolls. The information recording system has become an integral part of book development. To store it, our ancestors came up with ways of practical expression. The first of them were clay tablets, and after that, sheets of metal and tree bark were used.
The tablets were a stable medium of information. Clay and wax, they equally included the pros and cons of their use. So, in the first case, the tablets had to be burned to fix the text, which was no longer subject to change. When using wax, the inscription could be erased. In ancient Rome they used planks fastened together. Named by the code, they formed a modern book prototype.
Book Format Development
It is known that in ancient Egypt they used papyrus, which is considered the ancestor of the paper we are familiar with today. Its sheets were combined into scrolls - peculiar formats of books, which, along with tree bark, were widely used. In the Middle Ages, manuscripts (manuscripts) were distributed. They were created in special workshops, and for those who had a beautiful handwriting, the post of scribe was invented. Ink and reed feathers were used for writing text . Later, a color scheme began to be applied, which allowed staining manuscripts.
Woodcut (in modern terms, this is a stencil for multi-purpose use) first appeared in the XIV century. A matrix was cut out of wood, which was dipped in ink and printed on several copies. Nowadays, a similar procedure is easily performed by a xerox.
The place of the book in the development of literature
The appearance of Old Russian literature is associated with the creation of statehood in Russia in the 9th century. In the pre-Christian period, writing already existed. The creation of the glagolic alphabet, which led to the formation of the alphabet, traditionally called the Cyrillic alphabet, dates back to this time. The adoption of Christianity was marked by an introduction to book culture. One of the first literary monuments was the “Word of Law and Grace” written by Metropolitan Hilarion in the 11th century. Later, “The Tale of Bygone Years” and “Instruction” by Vladimir Monomakh appear. The following are “The Word about Igor's Regiment”, “The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan Batu”.
With the development of literature in the following centuries, Russian books acquire wide social significance. The works of classics are published: Pushkin (considered the father-ancestor of literature), Lomonosov, Tolstoy, Turgenev and many other eminent writers. The Golden, Silver Age transfer their rights to the modern century - it is marked by an unprecedented increase in book publishing and the emergence of a huge number of authors of various directions.
Particular attention should be paid to Russian literature of the Soviet era. It was marked by a difficult time for the country. Many writers were forced to emigrate, but in a general sense this is not due to the lack of works recognized by the classics. Over a century, poetry, the theme of revolutions and war, historical prose, satirical, sci-fi, dramatic direction, lyrics, magical realism, camp, village and city prose have found their place. Particularly developed were previously unknown or little-known genres of detective, thriller, romanticism, postmodernism, realism, conceptualism, symbolism, neorealism. Not every modern reader understands these concepts, but they really exist as an independent genre.
Authors of works
Over the centuries-old history of the development of the book, the reading public has met a number of writers. The authors of the books did not appear to be special personalities. On the contrary, they were “descendants of the masses”, often writing about what they saw around them. There were those who presented new ideas to the public who did not immediately find recognition. These primarily include the fantasy genre and its prominent representatives: Vladimir Obruchev, Alexander Belyaev, Grigory Adamov, Vasily Aksenov, Kir Bulychev, Ivan Efremov, Anatoly Dneprov. The Strugatsky brothers, considered to be classics of Soviet science fiction, rightfully have a palm.
In the modern reading world, the book is still relevant. Within the framework of the state program on the occasion of the Year of Literature, a number of events are planned aimed at increasing the significance of the book. Many libraries in the country will host festivals, events, and contests. Each book lover will discover something new and exciting.
Modern book formats, in addition to the usual book option, include electronic and audio books. The first is intended for reading on digital media. Often they play CDs and DVDs, players, tablets. The second feature is that it should be listened to, since it consists of sound recording.
Book today
In the current state, the book has undergone a number of changes. Remaining a key type of printed matter, it was divided into periodicals, notebooks, and albums, the usual book formats made with handwriting or typography, graphic illustrations, and soft and hard covers. But more often it is customary to believe that a book is a scientific or literary work in the form of a booklet intended for publication.